Just Another Day in Hawaii
by ReluctantSlashFan
Summary: Danny figured not having to see his shrink anymore would have made Hawaii at least a little more bearable. Until Steve goes missing... Sequel to 'Can You Feel the Heat...'
1. Chapter 1

His heart was thudding against his chest, the clock was ticking. It wasn't supposed to be this way; he was supposed to find his partner in time. It wasn't like with O'Riley; all the clues were laid out in front of them. He sped up, his legs on fire, the warehouse was just in sight, but skidded to a halt when he heard the _bark, bark, bark_ of gunshots. Shouting his partner's name, he started sprinting again…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Okay, the first chapter isn't very long, I know, but this story has been bugging me for a couple days. It is a sequel to _Confined_ and _Can You Feel the Heat. _Plus, my other 5-0 story is seriously lacking whump at the moment.**

**This story takes place mid-season one. Please review if you want me to continue, I do not own these characters, and please enjoy.**

**See ya...**


	2. Chapter 2

**22 hours earlier…**

Steve's head felt as if it had been split in two. He peeled heavy eye lids open, blinking several times as the blurry room spun around him. He tried to wrack his brain, figure out what had happened leading to him waking up, but besides a nasty throb his brain produced nothing relevant. He tried to move his hands next, rub the tender, aching spot above his left eyebrow, but he found them bound, steadfast, on either side of him.

SEAL training started to kick in as his head began to clear some. First he had to get to know his surroundings. He waited for his vision to snap into focus, before letting his dark, bottle blue eyes skim over the building. Large open space, some left over machinery, two huge, garage-like doors no doubt old loading docks. He was in an empty factory or a warehouse.

He tried craning his head, needing to know what he was tied to, but a spike of pain had his eyes screwing up. He waited for his vision to clear, pushing the pain back so he could continue his task. He was bound to an armed chair. He gave a couple tugs on the zipper ties, but only managed to slice his wrists open.

Giving up for the moment, figuring he could always try again when his head stopped thudding, he let his eyes ghost across the area again. He tried to catch a peek at who had him, tried to figure out who could be after him. Hesse was in jail, Five-0 didn't have any cases, and Steve was pretty sure none of his other enemies showed up. Of course, he had been a little too preoccupied with trying to figure out who had been leaving him manila envelopes with the stolen clues his father had collected about his mother's death. So, there was a slight possibility it was an enemy.

"Oh my, well look who is awake," a voice said and a small, portly, dark haired man stepped into Steve's line of sight.

"You?"

"Me." the guy smiled, clasping his hands behind his back as he started pacing back and forth. Steve watched him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why…?"

"…are you here?" the guy shrugged. "Why do _you_ think you are here?" Steve opted not to respond. "Better question: Why do you think I brought _you_ here? But I think the real question is _how _did I get you here? You should have easily taken me down." The guy stopped pacing, turned to face Steve, and spread his arms wide. "I mean, look at me."

The man had a point. Steve could have easily taken him out. Hell, McGarrett wouldn't even have to try with the guy. Unless...

A flash hit him: _jogging back home, finding the door opened a crack, reaching for his gun, pain exploding through his skull-_ It reminded him briefly of another time, another psychopath.

"You surprised me?" Steve couldn't help being a tad impressed. "That's not an easy thing to do."

"Believe me, I know." An unidentifiable flicker flashed across his eyes. The guy took a breath, about to say something else, but stopped when a beeping emitted from his pocket. He pulled out a cell phone, checking the screen. "Oh dear, I have an appointment to get to. But it would be just rude to leave you here alone…"

He moved away from Steve, returning a few seconds later with a syringe filled with a yellowish-amber colored liquid. McGarrett recognized the liquid right away, trying desperately to pull away.

"Relax, this won't hurt a bit," the guy said before jabbing the needle into the nook of his arm, tearing the flesh as McGarrett continued to struggle. He pulled the needle from Steve, blood sliding down the SEAL's arm. He then flashed Steve one, final smile before turning and walking out of the room…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny sat in the waiting room, glaring at a seriously outdated-_Come on. Even a doctor's office needs to throw it out after seven years-_Time Magazine. In his opinion, it wasn't news if it happened in 2004.

He threw the magazine onto the tiny table crammed into the corner, wondering-for not the first time-why he had been called to Bates' office on a Monday-_Didn't I just see the guy two days ago?_ It was barely seven; too early for him. He had to be to work by eight. He liked to sleep in until the last possible moment. Poor attitude for a cop, sure, but he wasn't a morning person. Plus, he hadn't had his coffee, yet, so he was a little grumpy.

"Detective Williams," a voice said. Danny, who had been expecting his shrink's office door to open, was shocked to see the entryway's door open. "Sorry, I'm late. I had a family emergency." Bates hurriedly moved past Danny, toward his office to unlock it. Williams dragged himself to his feet, following Bates into the room at a slower pace. His ankle was still bothering him from a recent case. He had managed to roll it chasing after Steve while he ran blindly into another dangerous situation. _Just like the reckless, jackass he is._

"Sit down," Bates indicated the chair sitting on the right side of his desk-_oh, so a short visit then. _Danny figured Bates was just going to schedule several more sessions because _that's_ the kind of guy he was.

Danny lowered himself into the chair just as Bates sat in his big, red, squishy chair. Danny would kill for a chair like that, but instead he was stuck with the semi-comfortable desk chair at The Palace-all because Steve stole his while he was out on sick leave with the flu.

"If you are gonna tell me that I need to continue to see you or go into more detail about mine and Steve's 'codependency'…" During one of his and Danny's sessions, Bates had said that Danny and Steve had a borderline 'codependent' behavior toward each other. Danny had had a problem with that and spent half an hour arguing about how Bates was wrong. "…I really don't want to hear it. I have wasted too much money on you and…"

"You are done, Detective Williams," Bates said calmly.

"What?" Danny stopped, his eyes meeting his shrink's. "I'm done?"

"Yes. You have recovered nicely from your attack." _If by attack, you mean getting buried by a deranged psychopath because Mr. Super SEAL McGarrett put his brother in jail, and said 'deranged brother's' associates grabbed the wrong partner? Then yeah, it was a total attack._ Danny tried hard not to roll his eyes. "I do believe you do not need me anymore."

"Okay, as much as I am ecstatic about not having to see these off-white walls again, why couldn't you tell me this over the phone?" Danny usually saved his 'I wanna punch someone in the face' tone for Steve, Stan, or Rachel's lawyers. But, in this situation, he seemed perfectly warranted to use it.

"Because I am going out of town, and I have four other sessions scheduled today and sixteen others to reschedule." Bates did not sound happy about any of this. "It was just easier having you come in." he glanced down at his table. "Besides, listening to your smart aleck comments is just the highlight of my day. I do believe I will miss _those_ most of all_."_

"Doc, do I detect a hint of sarcasm?" Danny flashed Bates a smile.

"Good bye, Detective Williams."

Danny had mixed feelings as he headed toward his car a few minutes later. On one hand, he was actually glad to get his Saturdays back. Bates wasn't exactly the best company, and leaving Grace with Steve was hazardous to Danny's sanity; especially when McGarrett taught Grace how to throw a punch. And it also didn't help that, the following Monday, Danny got a call from Rachel, who had-in turn-received a call from Tommy's mom, screaming at him about setting better examples for their daughter. Apparently, she hit Tommy in the nose when he started teasing her. Steve McGarrett was a bad influence on Danny's sweet, innocent eight-year-old.

But, on the other hand, Bates actually partially helped Danny through a tough time. He had had been suffering ASD, which probably would have turned into PTSD pretty quickly had it not been for Bates. Of course, if it hadn't been for the 'intervention' between his friends he wouldn't have gone in the first place. As annoying as he had been, Danny was probably going to miss the older doctor. And he stressed _probably_.

However, on the bright side he was now saving four hundred bucks a week, and that was just the discount of a usual bill of seven hundred dollars. Danny shuddered to think what he'd have to live on if he had to pay the full price plus child support.

As he stepped into the parking garage, after spending about half a months' child support payment on a parking space, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket; Kono's face smiling back at him. "Tell Steve I am _not_ giving him a ride. If he can't figure out what is wrong with…"

"Danny, Steve's gone," Kono said slowly cutting Williams' rant off. He flashed back to almost three months beforehand. O'Riley-after he had buried Danny and left him for dead-had managed to nab Steve; taking him hostage in his own house.

"Where are you?" Danny asked trying hard not to think of that day. About how Steve could have died (_despite what he said)_ if Danny hadn't shot O'Riley.

"Steve's house…" Kono was quiet for a second. "There's blood."

"I'll be right there…"

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Hey guys, what's new?**

**This was a lot longer than the last chapter, and I hope you guys liked it.**

**As for the drug Steve was given: I won't give too much away, but I will say I did research on it. Meaning I will try to get as close to what happens, when taken, as possible. But, I have never done it so I can be off by A LOT!**

**Anyway, let me know what's wrong or what you liked, I'll catch you in chapter three, and I own nothing.**

**Bye...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and just plain reading. You guys are awesome and I cannot thank you enough.**

**Anyway, the little poem you will read was not written by me. I am not a poet, nor will I ever claim to be, so I give the credit to my friend: BennyE5121.**

**Well I have to go. So, I own nothing, please enjoy, drop a comment if you can, and I will catch you in chapter four.**

**Bye...**

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Chin was standing in the doorway, watching out for Danny. Kono glanced over at him before letting her eyes flick back to the forensic guy taking a sample from the blood staining Steve's carpet. It didn't need any testing; there was no doubt in Kalakaua's mind that that blood was McGarrett's.

"He's here," Chin said and walked outside. Kono managed to break her gaze away from the forensic guy, following her cousin.

"Have you guys found anything?" Danny demanded when he was in hearing range.

"Only the blood," Kono said slowly. Danny shouldered past her and Chin, stepping into Steve's house. Kono turned, watching as he let his eyes scan across the scene. She wasn't sure what was going through his head, but she had a few guesses.

"Here." Chin handed Danny a pair of black, latex-free (standard issue for those who couldn't use the latex type) gloves. Danny slipped them on and trekked further into the house. "How could someone sneak up on McGarrett?" Williams turned to stare at Kono and Chin, who had followed him. "I thought he installed that alarm system after O'Riley."

"You know, Steve," Kono replied slowly. "He may have installed it, but that doesn't mean he actually used it."

"Dumbass," Danny mumbled, or that's what Kono thought he said. She and Chin followed him further into the house, watching as he stopped next to the now abandoned blood streaked across the carpet. He crouched down, studying the crimson stain.

"This isn't enough for a bullet wound," Williams commented, more to himself than anyone else. "Or a knife wound." He pushed himself up. "He had to be taken by surprise."

"Like O'Riley," Kono whispered an involuntary shiver rolling down her spine. She didn't want to think about that monster. Not now. Not ever.

Nodding, Danny said, "Except this time whoever has Steve moved him."

"The question is where," Chin muttered.

"And why…"

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Steve's head was spinning; he could barely keep his eyes open. He had long since lost feeling in his appendages, his bleeding arm was probably stinging yet not (_that didn't make any sense)_. In fact, a few times he actually couldn't figure out whose arm he was staring at. Which sort of freaked him out, but he had managed to get a handle on himself.

He had seen the effects of PCP on others in films and during his short time as a cop. He hadn't been given a large dose, mostly his breathing was shallow and sweat was slowly starting to roll down his face. He tried to recall any other symptoms, but it was like trying to hold water in his hands. The knowledge just kept slipping away.

"How do you feel?" a familiar voice said, footsteps echoed off the empty walls as he walked toward Steve. McGarrett merely glared when he was in sight. "Dizzy? Kind of numb?

"I did research on PCP for a class once. About addictions, you know? Learned a lot from that research, and hey I got an A on the paper." He smiled pacing back and forth again. "But, you do not care about little things like that.

"Did you know PCP is addictive? Not as bad as Heroin, but addictive nonetheless. Of course, that's if you take copious amounts of it." he stopped, flashing Steve a smile. "Which you have not. Not, yet, at least."

"Yet? You plan to…give me more?"

"Maybe."

"Are you sure…that's a good…idea? I could…easily break…these binds." Steve pointed out, his sluggish mind chugging out that single fact. He made a mental note that his tongue was slowly going numb.

"You could. However PCP is very unpredictable," the man considered shrugging. "You could easily close-in on yourself. It really depends on your state of mind."

"And, in your…professional opinion, what…_is_ my…state of mind."

"What do _you_ think your state of mind is?"

"Come on, you're…the shrink. Assess me. I…dare…you."

"Boy, you two do spend too much time together."

"He'll...find...you."

"I've spent every Saturday with him, for three months. If he was going to pick up on anything out of the ordinary, I think he would have done it by now." He started pacing again. "But, okay, if you insist." He stroked his chin, giving it some serious thought. Then he said, "Although you hide it well, you continue to have nightmares about your parents' deaths.

"It bothers you that you went from avoiding making too many friends, to having three close friends you would die for.

"Despite the fact that you've had a girlfriend for almost a decade, you have yet to tell her you love her.

"And the too fast bond between you and your partner scares you sometimes." He stopped, grinning Steve's way. "How am I doing so far?" Steve didn't respond, but he knew the shrink was correct. "Williams wasn't this quiet when I assessed him the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Or when I mentioned you two were borderline codependent." Steve's mind flashed back to that day. It was probably the longest rant he had had to sit through.

"That…one I…don't understand," Steve said slowly.

"Well, how far did you go to save Danny after he was buried? He said you were running a fever, vomiting, could have died, yet you would not give up.

"And I bet, the moment he finds out you're gone, he'll do the exact same thing. Go to the ends of the earth to save you." The shrink trailed off, letting his eyes lock on the floor. He was quiet for a few seconds then shrugged and said, "No more talking." He moved away from Steve, just out of his sight, only to return a half dozen seconds later with another syringe filled with PCP.

"Aren't…you afraid…of me…overdosing? Can't do…much…if I'm…dead."

"If you overdoes then…" he shrugged again. "…less time I have to deal with you." Then the shrink jabbed the needle into Steve's arm, pumping him full of more PCP. He yanked the needle free, more blood dripping down McGarrett's arm, and stepped away from him…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny had just gotten back to The Palace, frustration rolling through him. He couldn't believe this was happening again, except with their roles reversed. Steve was missing, held at the hands of a psychopath, and he, Danny, had to find him. _Let's just hope he's not buried alive. I don't need to find an empty grave where he should be._

Of course, the prospect of McGarrett being able to take care of himself was the only thing keeping Danny from completely giving up. MacGyver McGarrett could probably use a piece of gum and a thumb tack to take out the douche that had him… Okay, that was clearly an exaggeration, but it was McGarrett. Who knew what he could use to take psychopaths out?

Danny opened his office door, intending to get on the phone with the governor and ask for Steve's enemies, when he spotted the envelope on his desk. Eyebrows furrowed, he crossed the room and snatched it off the surface.

It was far too light to be a bomb, and if it had held anything remotely toxic it probably wouldn't have made it into the building. Danny glanced down at the white material, his eyes ghosting over his name.

He put the envelope down, donning a pair of gloves _just _in case he was wrong, and picked it back up. He slit the envelope open with his finger, upending the contents. Out fluttered a single piece of paper. Danny picked it up, staring at the typed words etched across the page:

_I hope you're ready for some fun._

_ The game you see has just begun._

_ The board is set, so chose your token._

_ By the end you won't be broken._

Danny read through the poem (for lack of a better term) three times. He had no clue what it meant. He didn't even know if it had anything do with Steve, though a part of him had a feeling it did. Wondering who had dropped it off, he placed the envelope back on his desk and grabbed his phone. He needed to get a hold of Chin.

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

For the second time in mere minutes Steve's head popped up at some unknown sound. He tried to push away the panic rising in him, a part of him knowing it was just the drug pumping through his system. He glanced down at his bleeding arm, for a second wondering whose arm he was staring at. _Mine, it's mine_, he reminded himself again.

He heard the noise again, closer this time. He closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. _Why is it so fricking hot in here?_ He tried to move his hands, to wipe the sweat from his face, but found them tied. _Who tied…?_ Confusion rolled through him, but realization quickly dawned on him. _Oh, yeah. Where did he go, anyway?_

_Wait who?_ _What's going on? Where am I?_ He shook his head, trying to clear the fog rolling through him. _Warehouse, tied to a chair, drugged up with PCP…_ _PCP, PCP that's a funny word. No, focus Steve…_

The noise sounded again, making Steve jump. Fear gripped him tight, squeezing until he almost couldn't breathe. He struggled to take a deep breath, closing his eyes and counting to ten. When he opened them he was startled to see a familiar face standing in front of him.

"Hey, kiddo," the guy said smiling.

"Dad…?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Before I begin I want to give a special thanks to: Crokettsgirl, amblue36, shirik, angelofjoy, and Shakespeare's Lemonade for the help you all gave me. I had only expected a response from a couple of you, not all five. You guys are incredible :)**

**Anyway, thanks so much for all the reviews, alerts, and just plan reading. You guys are so awesome to continue to read and support this :D**

**So, please enjoy, leave a comment if you can, and I own nothing.**

**PEACE...**

**5-0 5-0 5-0 **

"Dad?" no, it couldn't be his dad; Jack McGarrett had been killed, shot by Victor Hesse. He couldn't be standing in front of Steve, looking relatively unscathed. It was entirely impossible.

"What did your mother always tell you, Steve?" his dad asked shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing is impossible," Steve whispered just as his dad said the words. "B…but you…"

"…were shot?" his father finished for him. Steve nodded, his eyes widening. "I know I was shot. And, if I'm not mistaken, by one of your enemies, right?" Steve swallowed, nodding again, averting his eyes from his father's. "You got me shot, Steven, the least you could do is look at me."

Steve shook his head, squinting at the floor as his eyes started to sting. "Your enemy shot me, Steve. He shot me for no reason other than being your father. Look at me." McGarrett's blinked several times. "Look. At. ME!"

He dragged his eyes from the floor, letting them land on his father. Jack McGarrett was full of blood, a couple wriggly, crawly maggots falling from his eyes. His clothes were covered in dirt, almost as if he had crawled out of his grave. Steve could almost hear Danny say, '_It's like a Michael Jackson _Thriller _video reject.'_

"Give Daddy a hug…" Jack said rushing at Steve. A shout of surprise left McGarrett's mouth as he jolted backwards. His chair tipped over, sending him crashing into the floor with a loud, bone-jarring _clatter_. He was shaking and breathing heavy, his vision swimming, almost expecting his father to attack him. But there was no one, he was alone.

Raw, unbidden fear pulsed through his veins; he felt sick to his stomach and turned his head to retch all over the floor. He tried to get control of himself, fight the affects of the drugs, but it was a futile attempt.

If he were being honest, Steve just wanted to curl up into a ball and die. But the binds around his arms were pretty much keeping him from his goal. So, he just lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, trying really hard to convince himself _not_ to give up. Giving up was not an option, it was a sign of weakness. Yet it sounded really good about now…

"Steve." He froze. He knew that voice, knew it too well, but since she died had only heard it in his dreams.

"Mom…?

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Scottie had been the only person to enter Danny's office. So, William tracked the officer down. He was sitting at his desk, eating a scone, and gave Danny a grim look when he walked toward him. "I heard about McGarrett. Have you heard…?"

"Why were you in my office today?" Danny demanded cutting the uniform off.

"Uh, I…" Scottie trailed off, thinking a second. "Oh, yeah. I found this envelope on my desk with your name on it. I thought somebody made a mistake, left it on my desk by mistake. So, I took it over to The Palace and left it…"

"So, you didn't see you dropped it off?" Danny asked with a smidgen of hope.

"Nope, Williams. Sorry."

"Did anyone see who…?"

"I asked. It was here before I showed up."

"Thanks Scottie."

Danny headed outside, intending to go back across the street to The Palace, but froze when he spotted a second envelope stuck under the windshield wiper of one of the squad cars. He headed toward it, pulling it free. His name was etched across the front, in the same typed font as the first.

He had had already dusted the first envelope for finger prints, having found nothing, so he knew there was no point in wearing gloves. He slit the envelope open with his finger, dumping the paper into his hand:

_Your heart and mind are too entwined_

_It's time you learned to stand aside_

_On your own you'll surely see_

_How much better you will be…_

Danny raced back to The Palace, running straight to his desk, his phone already out. He froze when he noticed Kono and Chin already waiting for him.

"I told Kono about the first poem," Chin said following Danny toward his office as he started walking again.

"Good, because I just got another one." He pushed his door open, heading toward his desk. He threw his cell phone on the desk before placing the second poem next to the first reading through them out loud. "_I hope you're ready for some fun. The game you see has just begun. The board is set, so choose your token. By the end you won't be broken.' 'Your heart and mind are too entwined. It's time you learned to stand aside. On your own you'll surely see. How much better you will be.'_"

"What does that mean?" Kono asked perching on the edge of Danny's desk, glancing down at the poems with a worried expression on her face. Danny ran his hand through his hair, slowly sitting down. He read through the poems a third time, much slower, silently.

The first poem was pretty self-explanatory; this was all some sort of game. The second part took a little thinking. '_Your heart and mind are too entwined…'_ he mouthed something dawning on him.

He grabbed his phone, ignoring the curious glances from Kono and Chin. He scrolled through his contacts, hitting send on a familiar name. His phone rang once, twice then a familiar voice answered, "_This is Nicolas Bates?"_

"Hey, it's Danny. I know you're on some family thing, or just leaving, but can I ask you a quick question."

"_Only if it is quick_," Bates said and his music turned down some. So, he was in his car.

"Does anyone have access to my records?"

"_Nobody but me. Why?"_

It had dawned on Danny that maybe these poems _had_ something to do with Steve. Maybe this psycho had had gotten a hold of his records, read the notes about his and Steve's 'codependency' with each other. Whoever this was, whatever they wanted, they were convinced they were trying to 'help' him. _Yeah, taking Steve isn't exactly helping me dillhole._

"It's just…" he took a breath and quickly recounted what had happened and what he had realized. Bates was quiet for a second and then said, "_Perhaps some of my notes could have been stolen_." Another short pause_. "I am afraid I rarely keep my office locked when I go to lunch."_

"So, anyone could have broken in?" _Wow, some professional you are._

"_I can't be sure. I can have the building's maintenance man check the cameras for you."_

"Don't bother." There was a possibility these people covered their tracks. Besides, Danny could easily have Chin check the camera footage.

"_Why would someone steal your file anyway, Danny? Why would they take Steve because of a few notes I made."_

"I don't know," Danny confessed. Of course, since becoming Steve's partner he had probably developed more enemies than he originally had. The guy was a magnet for psychos. So, maybe Danny did know. But he wasn't going to admit that to Bates. He had just escaped more sessions with the guy, he wasn't going to get roped back in over the phone.

"Thanks for your help," he said sighing.

"_Anytime Detective Williams,"_ Bates replied before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Chin asked the moment Danny put his phone down. He took a breath and explained to Kono and Kelly what he had been going on in his head. Plus what Bates had said about him and Steve.

"So, somebody _may have_ taken Steve because you two may or may not be codependent towards each other?" Kono asked slowly once Danny stopped talking.

"Looks like…"

"That's stupid."

"Yeah…"

"Do you know who it could be?" Chin questioned after a few moments of silence. Danny shrugged, shaking his head. "Then I guess we should start a list." Just what Danny wanted to do, make a list of people who may or may not want to kill him. _Damn it, Steve. You better be alive when we find you. Otherwise I'll kill you…_

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

"Hey sweetie," Amelia McGarrett crouched down next to her son's head. She had dark hair like his, but otherwise looked almost exactly like Mary. Steve studied his mother for several moments, trying to take in everything about her all at once. She still smelt like lavender, still wore her hair in a loose ponytail, and still wore the paint splattered overalls she usually donned. God, he missed her so much it hurt sometimes.

"Mom?" he whispered his eyes stinging. More than anything, he wished he could reach out and touch her.

"You don't look too good, Stevie," she said stoking his hair. "In fact, you're burning up." his was? He felt more like he was sitting in an icy lake, his teeth not quite chattering but getting there. "Who did this to you?" she demanded reminding Steve of when he was eight and he showed up covered in mud. The neighbor girl had pushed him down because he pulled on her pigtails.

"M…Mom?" he whispered his vision blurring for a second before snapping back into focus. "I miss you so much…"

"Oh, Stevie, I miss you, too." She smiled down at him continuing to stroke his hair. It felt so good, and Steve was just so tired. He could have dropped off right then-his eyes sliding closed-but didn't get the chance. The smell of lavender was replaced by burnt flesh, the quiet humming that had started to emit from his mother's mouth was replaced by a shrill scream, and Steve's eyes snapped open in time to see his mother erupt into flames.

"NO!" he screamed...

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**I had asked several people what Steve's mother's name is, and a few gave me their best guesses while others told me she hadn't been named (and I have thanked you all before, but I am doing it again: Thank you), but I like the name Amelia so I used that. If I am wrong, or you guys don't like that, than I am sorry to hear that. And I made one of Steve's mother's hobbies painting because I find some artists fascinating (especially Van Gogh even if he was a complete nut... On second thought that might be why I like him :D)**

**Anyway, thanks again for reading.**

**Bye...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, what's new?**

**This is being updated today because I am actually online. As some of you (or one of you, maybe two) know I am moving. So, I have no internet at my new house and barely any time to write. But I didn't want to leave you guys hanging (and I am at my grandma's house), so I am updating this.**

**Anyway, with that out of the way, I want to thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and just plain reading last chapter. You guys are so awesome and I hope to hear from you all again.**

**So, please enjoy, see you in the next chapter, and I've gotta go.**

**BYE...**

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

After two hours of useless leads-his enemies either dead, in jail, or rehabilitated in some way-Danny and crew were no closer to finding Steve. In fact, other than one dude who threatened to castrate Danny if he ever was released, his enemies really weren't enemies. They were just _mildly_ displeased he had caught them. _Save for the dead guys because, well, they were dead and could be neither _mildly _displeased nor hateful toward me. Unless they were ghosts and that would only work if ghosts were real. Which they are not._

Williams sat in his chair, glaring at the two poems he had received. He had sent Kono to retrieve a list of Steve's enemies while Chin was holed up in his own office getting camera footage of Bates' office. Danny was glad they were out of the way, he didn't need them flashing him worried looks, both having whispered conversations when they thought he wasn't listening. He wasn't Steve. He wasn't going to do something stupid.

He read through the poems, for what felt like the hundredth time, learning nothing remotely helpful. They didn't give Steve's location, didn't give any inkling to whether or not the SEAL was okay. They were just nonsense rambling from a psycho Danny had no identity for and no way of catching.

He growled in frustration, pounding his fists onto his desk. He stood up, needing air, and headed outside. Once out the door, he sat heavily on the curb and buried his face in his hands. He just needed a clue, any clue; something to point him in the right direction because, if he were being honest with himself, he was worried about his idiot partner.

And not the 'I hope he doesn't get shot being stupid' worry either. It was the whole 'if he dies what the hell am I gonna do' type worry. They type of worry Danny only ever felt when Grace (or someone relatively close to him) was sick with something unknown, seconds before the doctor appeased that worry by telling him it was just a cold or the flu. He wasn't supposed to get this close to Steve, wasn't supposed to find another brother in Super SEAL Batman.

With a deep sigh, Danny stood up and headed back toward The Palace. He intended to scan the poems again, look for a clue he knew he wasn't going to find, but froze when he spotted an familiar envelope attached to the doors.

He snatched if off, turning to see a young couple about ready to turn the corner. He chased after them, calling out. They turned, giving him curious looks.

"Hey, did you see anyone near this building?" he asked gesturing behind him.

"Sorry, Brah," the guy said shaking his head.

"We didn't see anyone," the girl reiterated giving him an apologetic look.

"Thanks anyway," Danny responded before turning and heading back to The Palace. Once inside, he ripped the envelope open, shaking a third poem loose:

_The half of you that holds you down_

_Slowly in itself will drown_

_Until madness will consume_

_Nothing left but an empty room._

Danny read through it twice more, pushing his office door open. He then set the new poem next to the two that came before, reading through all three, reading the last aloud. _"'The half that holds you down, slowly in itself will drown. Until the madness will consume, nothing left but an empty room._'"

His eyebrows furrowed as he leaned back to think. '_The half that holds you down' _obviously that was Steve. '_Slowly in itself will drown.' _Drowning? Was Steve stuck in a well? _I'll come back to that._ He scanned the next line: '_Until the madness will consume.'_ Something was driving Steve mad? _What could drive the unbreakable Steve McGarrett mad? _Danny opted to come back to that line, too. _'Nothing left but an empty room.'_ _Nothing left but an empty room? What the hell does that mean?_

The only thing this douche was accomplishing was giving Danny a frigging headache. But he couldn't give up, couldn't back down. Steve needed help; the man who rarely asked for anything needed rescuing. And after the many times he had helped Danny, most of time when Williams didn't want it, it was time Danny returned the favor.

He looked up when his door opened, Chin standing in the entryway holding his laptop. Danny gave him an expectant look, but instead of sharing whatever he needed to share, Chin glanced down at the new poem and said, "You got another one?"

"Yeah. What do you got?" Danny really didn't want to talk about the new poem. Not with his head pounding against his skull.

"I may have a lead," Chin said moving across the room. He set his laptop on top of the three poems, hitting play on some security camera footage. As it rolled, showing some twenty-something guy sneaking into Bates' office, something in Danny's gut told him it wasn't the guy.

But it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Like he said, he wasn't McGarrett. He didn't go on gut feelings alone. He had to be a cop, had to bring this guy in. So, he picked up his phone and called HPD. When an officer picked up Danny said, "Hey, this is Detective Williams. I need an APB…"

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Steve had no idea how long he laid on the floor. He smelt the sour, stale stench of the throw up that had dried on his chin. He was shaking uncontrollably, still staring at the spot where his mother had burned up. She had long since disappeared, and he had been alone, his vision still blurry from unshed tears. She had been there-he had seen her as he had remembered her almost nineteen years ago-only to be ripped away from him again.

He choked on a sob, turning his head to the side. He was just so tired, and really all he wanted to do was sleep, but before he could nod off a voice said, "Really, Steve. Just giving up?"

His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to see a familiar face above him. Hoarsely he said, "Taylor?"

"Hey, buddy." Taylor smiled his ice blue eyes leveling on Steve's bottle blue ones. "Long time no see, right?"

"Just…leave me…alone," Steve groaned turning his head to look away. He was sick of all these dead people haunting him, long since forgetting what was causing them to do this.

"Why? I mean, you shot me. The least I can do is see how that arm's doing." Steve refused to answer, clenching his eyes shut. He started whispering, "Not there," over and over again.

"But I am here," Taylor said and Steve sensed him crouch down next to him. "I'll always be here." Nick pressed his finger tips to the side of McGarrett's head. "Always and forever.

"I'll be there when you remember how you almost got General Pak's family killed. How you could have gotten your team killed. All because you trusted me."

"We…were friends…" Steve whispered opening his eyes, locking them on Taylor's face. "What was…I…?"

"That didn't stop your partner from seeing me for what I was," Taylor pointed out breaking off Steve's question. "Danny didn't like me the moment he saw me. You kept joking about jealousy, refusing to see what Williams saw all along.

"Besides, weren't we trained to keep people at arm's length? Not to trust anyone? Doing a bang up job so far with that, McGarrett."

"Go…away," Steve weakly tried again, letting his eyes drift closed. He heard Nick laugh once before it was replaced by a new voice saying, "Dear me, what happened here?"

McGarrett's eyes snapped open, Bates walking toward him. For a second he actually believed the portly man was another hallucination, but changed his mind a few seconds later. Bates had grabbed both arms of Steve's chair and, with some effort, managed to tip the chair right-side up. McGarrett's head started spinning dangerously, his stomach rolling. Sheer will kept him from throwing up again.

"Have you been on the floor all this time?" Bates asked backing away from Steve.

"Go…to…hell," Steve snapped fighting his hardest against the fog surrounding his head. His eyes tried to slam shut again, but he fought to keep them open.

Tsking, Bates shook his head. "Now, is that anyway to talk to the man holding your life in his hands?

"So, have any good visitors lately?" was Bates behind all these visitors? Did he somehow bring all these people back from the dead? _Wait, how could Bates do that? _No man could bring back a corpse? But how did he know about Steve's parents and Nick?

_Stop that,_ a small voice snapped at him. It sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint why. _Those 'visitor's' were all a trick, Steven. You have to fight it_.

"I…know that…voice," Steve whispered his head suddenly too heavy to hold up. It drooped forward, Bates laughing somewhere above him. God, he was just so tired.

"That's it, McGarrett," Bates said sounding almost gleeful. "Just close your eyes."

_Steve, you better stay awake,_ the familiar voice commanded. _I mean it. I will kick your ass._

Despite the voice's pleas, Steve didn't stop himself as he began to drift off. Seconds before the blackness could consume him, however, he felt something stick into his arm. A part of him knew that wasn't good, but for right now he didn't care…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**P.S. I have to doubly thank my friend BennyE5121 for the poems he supplied for this story (I forgot last chapter). I honestly did not write any of them, he did. As I said before, I am a horrible poet. I can't write a poem to save my life (well, I probably could but it would be awful and I would not make it out unscathed-Alive, yes, but not unscathed.)**

**So, yeah, thanks again Benny.**

**Bye...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry for this piddly chapter. I promise the next chapter will be longer, I just wanted to update something.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for the alerts, the reviews, and just plain reading. You guys keep me writing which keeps me from going insane. And that's a good thing (seeing as I am already borderline crazy :D)**

**So, please enjoy, I own nothing, and drop a comment if you can.**

**PEACE...**

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

The fourth poem had been found about thirty seconds before Danny's phone went off. He had stopped by to get lunch around one (mostly for Kono and Chin, he wasn't hungry) when he found the envelope on the driver's seat of his Camaro. He didn't bother asking if anyone had seen anyone, whoever this guy was he was too good to be spotted.

However, before Danny could open the envelope HPD called. They had arrested the perp. Williams seriously debated whether or not to just send Kono and Chin, but thought against it. This kid may not be directly responsible for Steve's disappearance, but he could know something. So, Danny called Chin and Kono and asked them to meet up at HPD.

Both cousins were waiting for Danny when he arrived. As he opened his car door, envelope still clutched in his hand, Kono said, "You got another one?"

"Yeah," Danny said glancing at the envelope in his hand.

"Have you opened it, yet?" Chin asked trying and failing to sound casual.

"No." he handed it to Chin, suddenly not so sure he wanted to read it.

Chin used his finger to rip open the flap, upending the paper inside. He unfolded it and read: "_This game is here to help advance. The understanding of your chance. __To leave behind your dependant ways__. __And clear the cloud of objective haze_."

"Yeah, we get it, Steve and I are codependent. I wish the asshole'd stop taunting me and get to the fricking point already" Danny snapped snatching the paper from Chin's hand, slicing his finger open. "I'm sorry," he said hurriedly as a few drops of blood dribbled onto the snow, white envelope.

"It's fine," Chin responded barely recognizing the paper cut.

"Danny, you can't let him get to you," Kono said softly resting her hand on his shoulder. "That's what he wants."

Williams nodded once, eyes locked on the sidewalk, before he brushed Kono's hand from his shoulder and started toward HPD. He was pretty sure Chin and Kalakaua shared a look before following him.

Before they could make it halfway through the lobby, Danny's phone buzzed again. he pulled it from his pocket, checking the I.D, waving Chin and Kono on when they stopped to give him a curious look. As they continued on he answered, "What Bates?"

"_Is this a bad time?"_ Bates asked sounding unsure.

"No, Nick, it's great," Danny replied sarcastically pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's up?"

"_Have you had any luck with finding Commander McGarrett?"_

Danny sighed, letting his eyes drift closed, and said, "None so far."

"_What about those strange poems. Have you received anymore?"_

"A few," Danny responded wearily. "They're just taunting me, not really helping me find Steve at all."

"_Perhaps this man doesn't want you to find Commander McGarrett,"_ Bates suggested simply. "_Perhaps, he's biding his time before revealing Steve's location."_

"And perhaps he's a demented shithead who needs a swift kick in the ass," Danny spat, his eyes snapping open.

"_I am merely trying to be logical, Danny. There is no need to bite my head off,"_ Bates said a little taken aback by Danny's tone. Steve did say it could get harsh.

"I know," Williams responded with another tired sigh. "It's just… this whole situation keeps reminding me of O'Riley. Except, without the strange poems…" Danny trailed off, taking a breath. "It's just… he stopped at nothing to get me back after I was buried. I…I can't let him down. I won't let him down."

_"And you won't_," Bates said slowly, an unidentifiable emotion in his voice. Danny tried to pinpoint it, it sounded so familiar, but before he could so much as think about it Bates ended the call with a: "_I'll call you if I remember anything helpful."_ And he hung up.

Danny glanced at his phone, his eyebrows furrowed. Something was nagging him about that phone call. A gut feeling he just couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Steve's head felt as if it had been detached from his body. He knew this was impossible; enough science classes could easily disprove living without a head. Unless it was referring to a cockroach, but Steve was not a cockroach. He was a man. Who's head was not only feeling detached but also felt seventeen times too big for his shoulders.

_What's going on_, he thought having no clue where he was, how long he had been there, or who had brought him there. It was someone he knew, no doubt about that, someone not really close to him, but close to someone else close to him. Right? _Wait, what?_

He tried shaking his head, hoping to clear it, but his non-detached, detached, too heavy for his shoulders head was unresponsive. Hell, a great chunk of his limbs were unresponsive. Even his eyes, and all they wanted to do was close. He was all ready to oblige until that stupid voice returned.

_Keep 'em open, McGarrett_, it snapped still sounding so familiar yet Steve had no clue why. Hearing the voice reminded him of something else, something that happened to someone he knew, but it was all a blur of pretty colors and echoey voices. _Is echoey even a word?_

_Focus, Steve,_ the voice said just as another familiar voice commented, "Pathetic."

He tried to pick his head up to look at the owner, but only managed a couple inches before it dropped to his chest again. Opting to shift his eyes, he managed to catch a glimpse of his sister. For some reason he was relieved it was Mary, he just exactly didn't know why.

Her blond hair was in a messy ponytail, her hands were in her back pockets, and her pretty face held such a look of contempt that Steve was taken aback. Mary had never looked at him like that, not even when they were kids and in a fight.

"Some SEAL you are. Letting a little PCP get to you like this." She shook her head and repeated, "Pathetic. I mean, looking at you now, I'm surprised you even managed to get me out alive from my kidnappers."

"W…What…?" Steve tried to recall what Mary was talking about, but only managed quick flashes.

"W…what?" Mary mocked snorting. "Really, you can't remember? The Yakuza members taking me? The men that killed mom?" Mary snorted again, "Pathetic."

"S…stop saying t….that," Steve whispered fighting his hardest to keep his eyes open. Mary just laughed before disappearing. "Mary? Mary!" Steve let his eyes ghost across the floor, using his peripheral to find her, but she was just gone.

He had to get a grip, his head a muddled mess. Somewhere close by he heard a door open, footsteps walking toward him, but just out of his vision so he couldn't see who it could be.

"Your partner is starting to become a nuisance," another familiar voice spat and a pudgy man Steve knew he knew but couldn't recall who came into his view. In his hand was a SIG, a familiar SIG. If Steve wasn't mistaken, it was his SIG. _Why the hell…?_

"Well, he wants to find you so bad," the man continued. Steve had no clue what the hell he was talking about. "I guess we'll give him a body to find." McGarrett felt something press into the side of his head, a familiar click catching his attention. "Say 'hi' to your parents from me…"

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Not my best, I know, but I tried.**

**Bye...**


	7. Chapter 7

The kid's name was Sebastian Wu: slim build, dark hair, wide eyes, his skin a gray color. His eyes scanned the interrogation room, two dark orbs that couldn't quite settle on one thing for more than a few seconds. Chin watched him through the one-way mirror, waiting for Williams to get back so they could question the kid.

Danny had gone back to The Palace to get some aspirin. Chin knew what Danny really wanted was a beer, Kelly wanted one too, but they were on duty. They couldn't drink. Besides, they were no help to Steve if they were impaired.

"He still not back?" Kono asked coming up behind her cousin.

"He's coming," Chin answered keeping his back to her.

"I'm worried about him."

"His partner's missing."

"It could be Steve all over again," Kono pointed out moving to stand next to Chin.

"He's not sick, Kono," Chin replied slowly, watching the kid.

"Doesn't matter. He could still run himself ragged trying to find McGarrett."

The viewing room fell silent for a quarter of a minute, Chin breaking it by saying, "I'm worried, too."

The door opened, cutting off anything else Kono may or may not want to say, Danny stepped into the room. Chin turned, meeting Williams' blue eyes, and followed him into the hallway.

Danny stopped at the interrogation room's door, taking several deep breaths, before grabbing the knob and opening the door. He stepped in, Chin behind him, the latter closing the door.

"Y…you can't k…keep me…" Sebastian started paling drastically when the two cops walked into the room'

"We have footage of you breaking and entering into an office," Chin said slowly. The kid didn't say anything, his face turning a nasty shade of green. Kelly waited for Danny to say something, but Williams kept his mouth uncharacteristically shut. "We want to know why, Sebastian. What were you doing…?"

"Did someone pay you to break in?" Danny asked abruptly, cutting Chin's question off. Kelly gave him a curious look, wondering when Williams came to that conclusion.

"W…what?" Sebastian's eyes gave him away. Danny had been right, someone had paid him off.

"Who paid you?" Chin asked pouncing on that one slip up.

"Uh, I…I…"

"Look, kid, my partner has been taken by some psychopath," Danny said. "Most likely the same psychopath that paid you to steal my records: Detective Daniel Williams. Does that sound familiar?" the kid was shaking his head, vehemently against saying anything, but his eyes burned with the truth. "I know you're lying." His head shook furiously.

Danny gripped both arms of the kid's chair, leaning in so he was nose to nose with him, and said very slowly, "You either tell me the truth or I will tie you up by your feet and treat you like a piñata." _Holy crap-_Danny had just reminded Chin Ho of Steve. He had the scary voice down, the threat; everything screamed 'McGarrett's technique.'

"Y…you wouldn't…" the kid whispered, his voice nothing but a gust of air.

"Watch me," Danny responded before pushing himself away from the kid. "Chin, go get the rope from my trunk." He turned to look at Chin, his eyes unreadable; a rarity for the Jersey native.

Chin Ho really hope Williams was kidding, Kono's words echoing in his head as he turned to leave the room. But before he could grab the knob the kid screamed, "Alright! Alright! I'll tell you!"

He was breathing heavily when Chin turned to look at him, his whole body shaking. Danny crossed his arms, waiting for Sebastian to say something. "I…It was some guy."

"What was his name?" Danny asked slowly.

"I don't know," the kid replied.

"Bull." It wasn't bull, the kid really didn't know, but that didn't stop Danny from saying, "Chin."

"I don't! I don't know!" the kid practically squealed, looking as if he might puke.

Before Williams could open his mouth, Chin said, "Would you be able to describe him to a sketch artist?"

"Y…yes," the kid replied nodding his head.

"Would that be okay?" Chin turned to stare at Williams, who was chewing vigorously at the inside of his cheek. He didn't meet Kelly's eyes, but he did nod before leaving the room. Chin watched him go before glancing at the one-way mirror, knowing Kono had just witnessed the whole thing.

He then turned to the kid and asked, "Why did he want the records?"

"H…he didn't say," Sebastian replied eyes locked on the open door, awaiting Danny's return. "I…is he c…coming back?"

"I don't think so. I'll have an officer come down to escort you to the sketch artist," Chin replied heading toward the door. He stepped out, closing it behind him. Kono was already waiting for him, arms crossed, a worried expression on her face, her lip tucked between her teeth.

"Maybe we should…"

"We can't Kono," Chin said tiredly.

"But Danny…"

"He'll find a way to get back on," Chin pointed out. Kono had brought up getting dismissed from the case several times already. They were too close, they shouldn't be doing this; especially Danny. Kono may have been more like Steve where rules were concerned, but even she had to admit, this one time, protocol should be followed. "Besides, do you honestly want another team handling this." Her silence spoke volumes; Chin could tell his cousin was about as ready to give up on this case as he and Danny were. "We'll just keep an eye on him," he said slowly, the same thing he had said several times before. "And if he gets too crazy…"

"What? We tie him up and hope he doesn't get free?"

"He's not Steve. He may be easier to take down," Chin cracked getting a stern look from Kono. He became serious once more and said, "Let's go find our temporary boss, shall we?" Kono nodded, and lead Chin toward the bank of elevators…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny leaned against his car, fiddling with his phone. He was supposed to call Rachel around noon, leave another 'phone tag' message about this weekend. It was almost two, and Rachel was probably pissed.

At the moment, Danny really couldn't make himself care. Yes, he and Rachel were on better terms since he moved to this pineapple infested hellhole, and yes, he got to deal with her instead of the three or so lawyers Stan hired. But right now, his partner was missing, Gracie's Uncle Steve (who she had talked about non-stop since she started going to his house every other Saturday) was missing.

His phone rang, Danny jumped. He flipped it over to stare at the screen, his heart skipping a beat. Superman was flashing back at him. "McGarrett?" he answered hurriedly.

"_D…Danny?" _Steve's breathless voice said. There was something definitely wrong with him.

"Yeah, Steve, it's me. Where are you? Are you hurt?"

_"I don't…"_ it was quiet for a second. "_Where…am I? Who is…this?"_

"Steve, it's me," Danny said hurriedly, his heart sinking. Whatever was wrong with the SEAL, it was affecting his memory. "Danny. Your partner. Remember?" worry griped Danny so tight and it wouldn't let go.

"_Danny, I don't…" _Steve cut off, a shout of surprise soon following. There was a struggle, a couple grunts, a gunshot, and then the phone went dead.

"No, no, no," Danny said trying to redial McGarrett's number. It went straight to voicemail: '_This is Steve, leave a message_.' "Shit, "Williams whispered hanging his phone up. He tried a second time, for no reason other than to be sure, but got the voicemail again.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Kono questioned as she and Chin headed toward him, worry the most dominant emotion on her face. Danny told her and Chin about the phone call through numb lips, squeezing his phone so tight he nearly broke it.

"Oh my God," Kono breathed when Danny finished. Chin didn't say anything, but he did pull Williams' phone from his hand before he cracked the screen.

Danny was quiet for almost a full minute before he ran a hand down his face, glancing at Chin. "Can you trace the call? Maybe triangulate his cell phone?"

"I tried earlier, but it might not have been on then." Chin was quiet for a second, "But, from what you told me, it sounds like his phone was broken."

"Can you just try?" Danny snapped trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

"I can try," Chin said and hurried across the street to the palace. Kono glanced over at Danny, but he refused to look at her. His eyes were stinging, his head still pounding against his skull. Someone had just gotten shot, and a part of Danny just knew it was Steve. He felt sick to his stomach, almost as if he had just heard Steve's death.

_ No, _he growled to himself. _Not death. He's still alive; I know he's still alive._ Because he had to be alive, Danny wouldn't accept death as a condition for his partner. He wouldn't…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Fifteen minutes earlier…**

The gun had been pressed into Steve's skull, ready to go off, the familiar voice screaming at Steve to fight. And McGarrett just had enough, anger suddenly pulsing through his veins. He yanked on the zippy ties binding him, hard enough for the plastic to snap and one of his wrist to crack.

He pounced to his feet, the entire room swaying back and forth, his legs shaking dangerously. Bates jerked back, the gun going off. A bullet whizzed past Steve's ear, but he took no notice as he advanced on the portly man.

They both crashed to the ground, the gun going off again, the bullet piercing Steve's shoulder. He barely noticed as he started hammering his fists into Bates' face, the gun clattering to the floor forgotten.

Steve probably got a few swings in before his spark of adrenaline fueled anger started to wane. He rolled off of Bates, searching frantically for a phone. His head was clear; he needed to call his partner before his mind went again. He could already feel it slipping away, he had to hurry. He pulled himself to his feet, legs shaking so bad he had to grab his chair to keep himself up. Upright, he managed to spot his phone.

He found it sitting on a table, along with a half empty vial of PCP. He stumbled over to the table, knocking the vial to the ground when he snatched the phone. His vision shifted in and out of focus as he tried to find Danny's number, hitting send on what he hoped was Danny.

The phone rang twice before a familiar voice said, "_McGarrett?"_

_ Thank God_, Steve couldn't help thinking. "D…Danny?" he whispered around a shaky breath. He had to hurry, his memory was leaving rapidly.

"_Yeah, Steve, it's me. Where are you? Are you hurt?"_

Where was he? That was a good question. "I don't…" wait, who was he talking to? No, no, no this couldn't be happening. "Where...am I? Who…are you?" he knew who it was, he knew the voice.

"_Steve, it's me,"_ the familiar voice said. _Was it in my head again? _No, it was coming from the phone pressed to his ear. "_Danny. Your partner. Remember?"_ yes, he did. He did remember, and the voice. The voice was…

"Danny, I… don't…" Steve was hit from behind, his shaking legs going out on him as he crashed to the ground, shouting in surprise. He turned onto his back, a gun in his face, and grabbed it with both hands. Bates struggled to get it out of his hand, tried to pull the trigger, grunting when Steve kicked him twice in the hip. He drilled a size seven loafer into Steve's side, McGarrett letting the gun go in surprise. Bates pistol whipped Steve, firing at the phone and breaking it into pieces.

"That was stupid, McGarrett," Bates snapped drilling his foot twice more into Steve's side. McGarrett didn't feel the pain, but he had a metallic taste in the back of his throat when he started coughing after the fourth kick.

Bates dragged him across the floor, Steve struggling weakly, and handcuffed him to a metal post in the middle of the floor. "I should shoot you," Bates snapped stroking the gun. "But where is the fun in that."

"You…were about…to...earlier," Steve murmured, his head starting to swim again. "Do…do it," he demanded.

"You want to get shot so badly?" Bates said in a dangerous voice. "Then shoot yourself." And Bates tossed the gun just out of Steve's reach. He started toward the door, Steve suddenly very tired.

He fought to keep his eyes open, his head dropping onto his chest again, black spots dancing around his eyes. He noticed the blood dribbling down his arm from his new bullet wound, a few coughs bringing up more blood. He wasn't faring very well, and it was only a matter of time before something killed him. And, as of right now, he'd rather be dead than continue to be at Bates' mercy.

"You shouldn't think things like that, Uncle Steve," a small voice said slowly.

"Hello?" he called not even bothering to pick his head up. He knew he couldn't even if he tried.

"Hi, Uncle Steve," the voice said and she stepped into view. He brown hair was in pigtails and she was wearing jeans and the Shaved Ice shirt Kamekona had made just for her.

"Gracie…?

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny knew Chin and Kono were watching him, keeping a close eye on him, but he didn't care. He was too busy glaring at his computer screen. Chin had, once again, turned up nothing on Steve's phone's GPS and they were back to square one. He wanted to punch something, anything, but refrained. He really had been working on his anger management, he hadn't lied to Stan.

His computer beeped, getting his attention. He searched the screen, noticing the 'two new emails' message across the bottom. He clicked on it, his email page popping up. Both subjects were just his name, nothing else. He clicked on the first and a new poem popped up:

_This game is here to help advance_

_The understanding of your chance_

_To leave behind your dependant ways_

_And clear the cloud of objective haze_

Danny read through the poem twice before clicking on the second email. A second poem popped up, his blood running cold at the contents:

_I enjoyed our little sessions_

_Even though you lacked progression_

_But I will get it through your head_

_You're better off if he is dead_

Not even ten seconds after he read the second poem, his computer beeped again. The third email was from HPD, Scottie to be exact. He clicked on it, scanning the typed print. It pretty much said the sketch was ready, attached to the email.

He clicked on the attachment, hoping he was wrong, but knowing he wasn't. As the picture loaded, anger pulsing through Williams' veins, he couldn't help pounding his fists against his desk. He had trusted this guy with all his secrets, had shared more with him than anyone else he knew (including Steve). And he had gone and done this. When Danny found him he was going to kill him. No if, ands, or buts about it.

Nicolas Bates was a dead man…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, PMs, and just plain reading last chapter.**

**I'm sorry this took longer than I wanted, but I do hope you enjoyed it and drop a comment if you can.**

**Thanks again for being awesome.**

**PEACE...**

**P.S. I own nothing and thank you Benny :D**

**Bye...**


	8. Chapter 8

Grace swam in and out of focus as she moved toward Steve, her hands clasped behind her back, a very serious expression on her face. She stopped short of the incapacitate SEAL, her dark eyebrows furrowed in a good impression of her father. She let dark eyes scan the warehouse before settling them on Steve: "I love the décor, who's the decorator?" Steve was taken aback. That was Grace's voice, but not her words.

"W…what?"

"Oh, this place. Dark, gloomy, smelly-so totally speaks you. I mean, Batman practically lived in the cave under his house. Granted, yes, this isn't under your house, and it's not exactly a cave, but hey you could work with it."

"W…why do you sound…?"

"…like my father?" she shrugged, whispering, "Bad influence, maybe. Or, in your mind, you just can't seem to conjure Danny. So, you conjure me instead. The closest thing to him you can get, his daughter."

"B…but…?"

"Which is kinda poetic in a way," Grace continued pretending Steve had spoken. "I mean, hearing insults from your dead folks, your sister, some dude you killed just doesn't seem as satisfying as getting bashed by your best friend's daughter." Grace shook her head, shrugging again. "Okay, I admit it, your parents were kinda funny." She chuckled. "A lot funny, actually. Especially the way your mother just," she blew out a breath, moving her hand to signify the flame. Steve tried to shake away that memory, but it hit him full force, his breath knocked from his lungs, his numb limbs shaking. Anguish gripped his stomach, squeezing so hard he almost threw up. "Fireworks," she whispered and laughed. Her laugh was different somehow, more evil, less Grace. It sent an involuntary shiver down Steve's spine.

"S…stop it…"

"Honey, it didn't the work the first time, it ain't working the second time," Grace responded before morphing. Where she stood one moment before, Kono now occupied her spot.

"Hey Steve," she said smiling, waving. McGarrett squeezed his eyes shut, trying his hardest to make her go away. "Making me go away won't help you, you know.

"This place, I agree with Grace, it is fitting," Kono commented, her light footsteps echoing off the walls as she paced back and forth. "Cold, dark, reclusive: kinda you in a way. Well, the you I met a while back.

"You were so strong, so powerful even. The man with nothing to lose, but you sure threw that away didn't you. And, I don't blame you, being anti-social can only get you so far. But, to pretend you care about these people, it's little callous don't you think."

"I…I don't p…pre…" Steve tried peeling his eyes open.

"Of course you don't," Kono said hurriedly. "I mean, over a decade of shutting down your emotions, never letting anybody penetrate that brick wall of yours. Then _one little team_ has the power to knock that wall down. Yeah, their love and trust was that powerful." Each sarcastic word was like venom entering Steve's veins. Kono had never spoken to him like this before, ever, even when she was mad. She snorted, "Give me a break, McGarrett. If you aren't using them then you're abusing them. And if you aren't doing that, well then one day your antics are going to get them killed. Especially Danny…

"I mean, the man is practically your shadow. He will complain and complain about you until he is blue in the face. But if you're going into a shootout, he's two steps behind you. If you want to interrogate a suspect in that 'special' SEAL way of yours, he may scream at you, but you never see him stopping you. And when he gets killed, following you during one moment of stupidity, it'll be your fault. It'll be your fault that Grace doesn't have a father, that his family won't ever see him again. And then he'll be part of the list of people you've gotten killed.

"You're back's already kinda of lagging, Steve. Can you carry another death?" Kono crouched next to him, lifting his head so she could look him the eyes. "Do us all a favor, shoot yourself. It'll make our jobs a hell of a lot easier…"

McGarrett blinked several times, his eyes stinging, his vision blurring as his head dropped to his chest again. Kono was gone…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Besides several more dead end leads, Danny had been trying to get a hold of Bates over the past several hours, but the crazy bastard just wouldn't answer his frigging phone. He slammed his cell phone into the desk after the shrink's voice mail picked up again, laying his head down.

His headache was back, full force, his ears ringing. He picked his head up, grabbing the bottle of Tylenol off his desk, and shook out three. He knocked them back, draining the coffee he had had been working on since eight-thirty. And, no, it wasn't his first, second, third, or fourth cup.

He let his eyes settle on his computer, reading through the poem he had had received earlier:

_This game is fun, oh don't deny it_

_Teaching you some self-reliance_

_Ever closer to being cured_

_Look at how much you've matured_

It was like the others, not very helpful and pushing his already sour mood down several notches. In fact, he was so pissed he wanted to shoot something. Anything. _I wonder if this is how Steve feels._

"Hey, Danny," a voice said and Danny looked up, Chin standing in the doorway. He was holding a white, paper bag. "I think you should eat something."

"I'm fine," Danny said glaring back at his computer.

"You haven't eaten all day," Kelly pointed out.

"I'm fine," Danny repeated, albeit little gruffer.

"Danny…"

"Chin Ho, I don't want it," Williams snapped pouncing to his feet, Chin taken aback by his tone. He took a breath, running a hand down his face. "I'm sorry. Look, did, uh, did you or Kono get a hold of Bates' records?"

"He's legit. He majored in psychology, minored in sociology. He graduated top ten percent of his class. He's had some good reviews, nothing screams psycho…"

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping his headache would go away, and slowly said, "Why don't, uh, why don't you and Kono go home. It's almost midnight."

"Danny, we're not leaving," Chin responded quietly. "We can't leave."

"It's not… it's not doing Steve any good if all three of us are sleep deprived. Just, just go…"

Kelly made to respond, but was cut off by Kono racing into Danny's office. She had a file in her hand, tossing it on his desk. "What's this?" he asked picking it up.

"Hard copy of Bates' medical records," she responded with a grim expression on her face. "Read it, it's interesting."

Danny thumbed through the file, skimming the parts Kono highlighted, his eyes furrowing with each new fact. "How did you get this?"

"Friend of a friend," Kono responded a flicker of displeasure crossing her face. "But it proves that Bates isn't as squeaky clean as he led you to believe."

"No, he's not…" Danny's phone rang. He picked it up, Anthony Perkins flashing back at him. He met Chin's eye mouthing: _Bates._ Chin nodded rushing to get his computer. When he returned, his GPS program up, Danny answered with a tentative, "Hello?"

"I know you know, Danny," Bates said slowly, his voice unreadable. "And I know you are tracing this call."

"Where are you?" Danny demanded glancing around the office.

"Steve says 'hi,'" Bates muttered.

"If you kill him I will kill you," Williams growled, clenching his phone in his fist, smashing it against his ear.

"Good bye, Detective Williams." He was gone, Chin shaking his head.

"DAMN IT," Danny snarled slamming his fist into his desk. Kono jolted back with the action, Chin frowned, but Williams didn't care. His partner was out there, at the mercy of some psychopath, so he didn't have time to apologize for every little thing he did in frustration.

His computer beeped, getting his attention. He checked the screen, noticing the _new email_ message at the bottom. He clicked on it, waiting for the computer, before bringing the email up. It was another poem:

_There is a place you could go_

_That once gave the world Hala-kahiki and Ko_

_Now it can give you that which you seek_

_However, doing so would prove you quite weak_

It was a clue, Bates was finally giving him a clue. Albeit a crappy clue, but…

"Guys, we may have something." There was finally a light at the end of the tunnel that was this shitty day. Danny just hoped it didn't pull away before they could reach it…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Before I begin my long, drawn out A/N I want to explain some things. One: Anthony Perkins, for those who do not know, played Norman Bates in Hitchcock's movie Psycho. Steve had called Bates Norman in Confined and Danny embraced it as a private, inside joke between the two. Two: Hala-Kahiki is Hawaiian for Pinapple and Ko is Hawaiian for sugar. Benny did the research and came up with a back story which will be explained in the next chapter... maybe :)**

**Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews, alerts, and favs last chapter. You guys are awesome and I can' thank you enough**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this, please review if you can, and I own nothing.**

**Thanks again to Benny**

**Bye...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Before I begin I need to make a note. Ko means sugarcane not just sugar. I read, what Benny had, wrong. I think I was just tired or something. So, yeah, just clearing that up.  
>Please enjoy...<strong>

**5-0 5-0 5-0 **

Steve had no idea how long he sat, alone in the warehouse. He was sure he dozed off, maybe. He could have easily spaced out. Regardless, his head still felt stuffy, he was shivering like mad, but, on a lighter note, he could feel his left foot again. _At least there's that…_

The door opened, or he thought the door opened. Footsteps were approaching him, so the door must have opened. Right? Right.

Steve tried to pick his head up, see who may or may not be coming toward him, but his head just wouldn't obey his command. Whoever it was, friend or foe, real or imaginary, he wouldn't know who they were until they spoke.

"You look horrible, McGarrett," a familiar voice commented. Great, Bates was back.

"F…fuck you," Steve spat letting his eyes flick up so he could see the shrink. He was holding his phone, typing as quickly as his stubby thumbs would allow.

"Now, now, there is no need for that word," Bates said slowly, tsking, shaking his head. His eyes were locked on the phone's screen, reading back whatever he had written.

"What…?" Steve started his vision blurring. When it cleared, Chin had appeared behind Bates' shoulder. At first, McGarrett thought he was real until: "You're gonna die. And nobody's going to find you." Kelly cackled before turning into Kono.

"And your team will be so grateful," she said smirking. "They won't have to look over their shoulders, waiting for your next enemy." Kono morphed into Mary.

"You're nobody's hero," Mary said shaking her head. Steve squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his own head. _'They're not real,' _the voice said in his head. Danny's voice. Steve tried desperately to hold on to that simple fact.

"Oh, but we are sweetie," his mother's voice whispered in his ear, the smell of burnt flesh strong enough to make him gag.

"We're as real as every, single person you've gotten killed," his father's voice said in his other ear. "Every, single person you've lost. And you know we're real. You. Know. It."

'_Steve, you need to fight it. Fight it Steve. Come on_…'

Steve's eyes snapped open, both zeroing in on Bates. A new wave of fury washed through him. _Bates_ was the reason he was seeing these people, hearing their bitter words. _Bates_ was the reason he was this way. And_ Bates_ had to die…

The handcuffs snapped, Steve's already cracked wrist breaking completely, and he dragged himself to his feet. He threw himself at Bates, expecting to hit a warm, fleshy body, but instead slammed his knee into the floor. He didn't feel the pain, but he did spot the blood starting to pour from a new gash.

"Right here, Stevie," Bates said laughing. Steve scrambled to his knees and whirled around, his hand nudging the gun the shrink had thrown down earlier. He scooped it up, hands shaking so bad he could barely keep it steady, and fired off several shots. To his surprise, not one bullet entered Bates' flesh. And yes, he knew his aim was off, but at least one should have hit its mark.

Steve's hand fell to his side at the realization that Bates' was just another hallucination, a trick of his drug induced imagination. Maybe he wasn't real the whole time; just his mind screwing with him. Maybe he was going crazy. And maybe his craziness was risking the lives of his team.

As the remaining energy from his anger waned, his head drooped forward to rest on his chest. He listened to the voices that surrounded him:

"A joke." Kono.

"Pathetic." Mary.

"My daddy's gonna die because of you." Grace.

"Weak." Nick.

"Murderer." His father.

"Worthless." Chin.

"I hate you." Cat. Cat, he had forgotten about Cat. She had it right, she should hate him. He wasn't worthy of her time, wasn't worthy of any of their time. They shouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

His shaking had gotten worse, tears were pouring down his face, and the scent of burning flesh stung his nose causing him to nearly retch. Bile stung his throat, but he didn't care. He just wanted it to end, for them to leave him alone. He looked down at the gun.

"Do it," they whispered.

'_No, Steve,"_ Danny's voice snapped.

"Do it," they repeated.

'_Steve, please…'_

"Do us all a favor."

'_Steve…'_

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Danny's voice, putting the gun to his head. For the first time in his life, Steve McGarrett was giving up…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**45 Minutes Earlier…**

It had been the longest four hours of Danny's life, and they were no closer to finding Steve. The clues were very vague. According to Chin and Kono ko meant sugarcane and hal-kahiki meant pineapple. Yeah, Hawaii was an island made up of sugarcane and pineapple (not to mention the deadly coconut), that wasn't helping one bit.

Danny was now sitting in the middle of his office, surrounded by seven or eight empty coffee cups, taking three more aspirin. His headache wasn't leaving, he knew this, but wishful thinking had him taking more pills. He downed the pills with some water, Kono having refused to get more coffee around three, and leaned back in his chair. He watched his remaining teammates.

Kono had been the first to drop. She was asleep on the couch in Steve's office, head buried under her arm, shoes kicked in the corner. Chin followed soon after, his laptop open on his desk, his chair tipped back. He was going to have a sore back when he woke up.

Danny had kept working, refusing to give up, and thought he had a lead. But it fell through at the last minute. To say he took it well would be a lie. A big lie. Huge actually.

His eyes slipped closed, his brain too busy to actually let him sleep, only to pop open when his computer beeped. He rolled toward it, stopping when his phone chimed. He chose the computer over the phone, figuring Rachel had tried emailing him (he had set up two separate accounts so she wouldn't clog his work inbox), and clicked on the new email message.

Once he was on his email again, clicking on the new message, he let his eyes skim the new poem:

_The place that I spoke of is ruled by a King_

_His castle in ruins, he no longer Sings_

_Staying away will prove your salvation_

_But can you resist such a strong, strong temptation…_

Another clue, he hoped. He read through the poem twice more before getting to his feet. He ran out of his office, knocking on both Steve's and Chin's doors, getting Kono and Kelly's attention.

"Got another one," Danny called heading back into his office.

Kono and Chin followed. The former rubbed sleep from her eyes while the latter rubbed the back of his neck.

Danny spun his computer monitor around, letting both cousins read it. Chin finished first, rushing back to get his laptop. He returned, Google already running, placing the computer on top of Danny's desk, but froze over the keyboard.

"What's wrong?" Kono asked curiously.

"What do I type?" Chin questioned shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, let's go through the poems again," Kalakaua suggested.

"The first few aren't even worth mentioning," Danny said in frustration, massaging his forehead. Kono threw him a '_what else can we do_' glare. "But okay…" he pulled the first few poems out of one of his desk drawer, tossing the envelopes onto the surface. He then brought up each email he had gotten.

Kono rushed out of the room for a second, pushing their big dry erase board into Danny's office. "Hand me the typed ones and print out those emails, we'll tack them up here."

Danny did as he was asked, handing the envelopes to her. She taped the first few up-in the order he received them-and then took the emailed ones once he printed them out. Danny stepped back, reading all eight as quickly as he could. Together, they just sounded like the work of some demented poet. Almost like an Edgar Allan Poe wannabe.

The team spent about ten minutes arguing over each point, getting nowhere fast. At one point, Danny just stood up, grabbed his phone, and announced he was going to the bathroom.

Once inside the room, away from everyone, alone with his thoughts, Danny decided to check that message. He'd much rather read Rachel's bitching, if only for a second. He logged onto his other email account, fully intending to see something from his ex, only to freeze. It was a message with no return address, the subject just his name.

He clicked on it, a new poem popping up:

_You're almost done, but do not fret_

_The game, it is not over yet_

_One more thing that you must see_

_Before you'll finally be free._

This time there was something new, something that made Danny's heart skip a beat. It was an address, a local address. Underneath it said: _Come alone, twenty minutes, or he dies._

The place was a fifteen minute drive at most, he remembered driving past the old warehouse once or twice on his way to The Palace. There was an old, faded logo across the building that said…

"Kingsing distributors." The last poem made sense now.

He dropped his phone, the thing clattering against the linoleum floor, and sprinted out of the bathroom. Chin and Kono were so engrossed in another heated argument that they never saw him leave.

He burst out of the building, heading toward his car, skidding to a halt when he noticed the flat tire. "Shit," he whispered but turned, sprinting in the direction of the old place.

About halfway there his legs began burning, his knee protesting the abuse, his breath puffing from his chest. It wasn't that he was out of shape, far from it, but he hadn't full out sprinted since Gracie fell out of a tree when she was four. It had been a while.

He checked his watch, he still had time. He was almost there. _Hold on Steve, I'm coming…_

**_5-0 5-0 5-0_**

**_I am sure, in a real situation, Danny wouldn't drop his phone or not tell Chin and Kono, but the phone thing is going to be kinda important. And, well, I have a scene in mind between Steve and Danny before help arrives. *And it's nothing slash, don't worry*_**

**_And that's the end of Benny's poems. If he's reading this you rock and thanks for listening to me whine about not being a good poet. You are better than me at poetry, you know that right? :D_**

**_And I hope you guys enjoyed this, leave a review if you can, and I own nothing._**

**_See ya..._**


	10. Chapter 10

**Present Day…**

Chin poked his head into the bathroom, after Kono insisted he go check on their 'temporary' boss, only to find Danny's phone lying on the floor. He stepped toward it, glancing around, before picking it up. He read the text across the screen, racing out of the room.

He shoved the phone at Kono when he burst into Danny's office, moving toward his laptop. His fingers flew across the keyboard, typing in the address he had just read, while Kono said, "Why didn't he tell us?"

"Probably because of the message," Chin responded waiting for Google to bring up his search. It showed him a link to a Kingsing Distributors. He clicked on it, reading through the history. They distributed sugarcane and pineapple, they're name had King and Sing in it. Two of the eight, or nine, poems made sense.

"Kono, call HPD and have them meet us there," Chin said running out of Danny's office, Kono steps behind him, already on her phone. _You guys better be alive…_

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny burst into the building, the gunshots still ringing in his ears, just in time to see a bloody Steve kneeling in the middle of the warehouse, a gun pointed directly at his head. A new wave of energy rolled through Williams as he sprinted across the floor, tackling Steve. Or trying to. It was more like ramming into a brick wall, one that just happened to move slightly.

The gun flew from McGarrett's grip from the hit, skidding across the floor, just as Danny landed next to his partner. The wind had been knocked from his lungs, but as he pushed himself to his knees, he managed to wheeze, "W…what the h…hell's the m…matter…" he trailed off, finally getting a good look at Steve McGarrett.

Danny had known Steve for around five months and in those months he had noticed that Steve had many facial expressions. Many. Many, many, many. Danny had a name for most of them. (Some names, okay almost all, Steve didn't even approve of).

Yet, with every facial expression, he always managed to keep his emotions in check. That was how their partnership worked. Danny showed his emotions, Steve kept himself distant. It worked for them. Until now…

McGarrett's eyes were red, tears tracks running down his bloody, dirty face. He was trembling, barely taking any notice to the fact that both his arms were bleeding. Or one was, the other long since stopping.

"What happened…?" Danny trailed off, noticing the track marks in the nook of Steve's arm. "Oh my God," he whispered anger rolling through his veins, his stomach clenching. "What did he do to you?"

"Leave me alone," Steve snapped shoving Danny away from him when the latter attempted to check his freely bleeding shoulder. McGarrett backed as far away from Danny as he could. Moving brought his slowly swelling wrist into view.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Williams said cautiously, carefully moving toward the SEAL. "It's me, it's Danny."

"Y…you're not r…real," Steve stammered slamming his eyes shut, covering his ears. "L…leave me alone…"

"Hey, it's really me," Danny responded quietly, stopping just short of touching distance from the SEAL. "It's really Danny."

"No," McGarrett insisted, shaking his head, yet he still sounded a tad uncertain.

"It's me, I promise," Williams replied using his 'Gracie had a nightmare' voice. "It's me, Steve."

Distrust burned in Steve's eyes, enough to make Danny's stomach twist in knots, but slowly it wilted to confusion. "Danny?' McGarrett whispered.

"Yes, it's me."

"Danny, I...I…" the words stuck in McGarrett's throat, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he collapsed into a heap.

"STEVE!" Danny shouted as his partner started to convulse…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Chin, Kono, and a few members from SWAT move toward the building. She nodded to Chin, splitting up with two SWAT members. They circled the building, taking the rear while Chin Ho and his team took the front.

"Go," Kelly's voice drifted into her ear from her comm. She nodded to the two men with her, turning and kicking the door in. They rushed inside, only to stop when Danny yelled, "Call an ambulance!" at Chin.

Kono watched as Steve convulsed on the floor, Danny keeping a hold of his shoulders. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever the case Steve wasn't doing well.

As her cousin called for a bus, Kono started looking around the room. There were pieces of a phone scattered across the floor (_that could explain the gunshot Danny had heard),_ an empty tray sitting next to a bloody chair, broken glass littering the cement next to it, and a gun laid about a foot and a half from Steve's still shaking body. Kalakaua didn't want to think about what had gone down.

"Hurry," Chin barked into his cell hanging up. He knelt down next to Danny and Steve, the latter's convulsing slowly dwindling down to slight tremors.

"What happened?" Chin demanded when Kono joined the three guys.

"I…I don't…" Danny took a breath, attempting to keep his emotions from his voice. As usual, Kono could see his emotions in his eyes: fear, worry, panic. It was like a whirl of angst. "He was drugged, shot, and who knows what else." Leaving one hand on McGarrett's shoulder, he ran the other through his hair. "I…I don't even…"

Kono glanced over her shoulder at the broken glass. She stood up, ignoring Chin's curious glance, and moved toward the glass. She crouched down next to it, staring at it for a second. A couple pieces still had some lingering liquid on it.

"Hey, Chin, go get me some gloves and a baggie," she called over her shoulder. Chin cocked an eyebrow, giving her a questioning look, but still did what she asked. He returned a few seconds later, moving toward her, stopping long enough to tell Danny the ambulance had just pulled up.

Sure enough, a couple EMTs ran inside, a red bag sitting on top of the gurney they pushed inside the building. As they got to work on the downed SEAL, Kono collected samples of the glass.

"What was he given?" one EMT asked everyone in the room.

"We don't know," Chin responded turning to face them. Kono pushed herself to her feet, baggie in her hand, and said, "We can get the answer though."

"So can the hospital," the second EMT replied strapping an oxygen mask over McGarrett's face. They set him up with an IV for dehydration, but dared not give him anything else.

"Let's get going," the first EMT said once Steve was strapped to a gurney. As they were pushing him out of the warehouse, Danny trailing in their wake, Chin and Kono shared a look.

"This is almost like…"

"Yeah, I know," Chin said softly.

"You think he'll…"

"I don't know."

She ran her ungloved hand through her hair glancing down at the bag. "Should we test this?" Kono knew the EMT just said the hospital could get the answer for them, but she knew she couldn't just sit and wait for them to run their extensive tests. She had to do something, even if it was pointless.

"Come on," Chin said quietly, sensing what she needed. "We'll see if the lab guys can get this in today."

"Okay," she whispered, her eyes stinging, and followed her cousin out of the building…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny declined the EMTs' offer to let him ride in the ambulance. He needed to do something before he could go see Steve. Chin had agreed to sit at the hospital, Kono heading back to HPD to get the glass sample tested. It was almost a race to her, which one could get the drug's identity first. Danny was banking on HPD.

As for Williams, he sat in a big, red, squishy chair looking out the window. He didn't even know if Bates was going to show up here, but a gut feeling told him to stay. To wait. To see.

Sure enough the door opened, shuffling feet telling him the portly man just entered the room. The door closed and Bates asked, "Been waiting long?"

"Not long," Danny said quietly still staring out the window. As much as he wanted to empty an entire clip into Bates, it wouldn't be right. He was unarmed, he needed help, and it was against protocol to fire a weapon at a civilian that wasn't shooting at him. So, yeah, Danny may have wanted the freak dead, but he just couldn't shoot him.

"I take it you found McGarrett."

"Yep," Williams responded slowly getting to his feet. "He's alive by the way." He noticed the flicker of disapproval in Bates' eyes through the reflection in the window. "You're plan didn't work."

"Probably not," Bates said with a shrug.

"No, definitely not."

"We'll see," Bates mumbled. He then took a breath, held out his wrists, and asked, "Are you going to arrest me Detective Williams?"

"Why? Why me?" Danny whispered slowly turning around, looking the shrink directly in the eyes. "Why any of this?"

"I was trying to help you," Nicholas responded as if it were natural to kidnap people and drug them.

"Yeah, like you helped your brother," Danny said recalling what he read in Bates' medical file.

"Shut up." the shrink paled drastically.

"Charlie. That was his name, right? And you let him die."

"Shut up," Bates snapped visibly shaking.

"You let him die because you thought you were helping him swim. You pushed him in the ocean, told him to start kicking. I bet your dad did that to you, so why not try it on your little brother. It worked for you, why not him right?"

"Shut up!" Bates screamed cutting Danny off. He lowered his voice, "Shut up. you have no idea what you are talking about. Charlie needed to learn to swim, just like you need to learn to live without your partner."

"We are not codependent!"

"But you are. You are. It's written in my notes. Seventy percent of the time, when you weren't talking about your ex or your daughter, you were talking about McGarrett. How infuriating he was, how insufferable he was, but how you'd die for him. That's not healthy, Daniel. You have to…"

"You're insane, you know that," Danny pointed out.

"But I'm not. You know I'm not. And if Steve were to have died you would have been so much better off."

"Go to hell," Danny spat pulling his handcuffs from his pocket. "And you have the right to remain silent…"

"Danny, please…"

"…anything you say can and will be used against you…"

"You have to believe me…"

"…in a court of law…" As Danny continued the Miranda Rights, talking over the shrink's protests, he snapped the handcuffs around the portly man's wrists. He opened and pushed him out the door whispering, "And if he does die, I will make sure you go with him…" of course (as much as Danny didn't want to think about it) if Steve did die his views could change. No, scratch that, his views would definitely change. Consequences be damned…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Before I begin Benny has asked me to give you guys a message. He wants you all to know that he appreciates the shout outs you gave him. He also made up the Kingsing Distributors which I forgot to mention last chapter. Even though you probably figured it out, so scratch my last comment (actually, scratch anything that sounds half-assed or crazy, it's almost one-thirty here and I am tired, so yeah :))**

**Anyway, thanks so, so, so much for reviewing, alerting, reading, and just plain supporting the last chapter. I really hope you liked this one, drop a comment if you can, and I own nothing.**

**PEACE OUT...**


	11. Chapter 11

**OK, my muse just wasn't feeling this story today, but I wanted to update something, so please excuse this chapter.**

**So, I hope you guys enjoy this, thanks so, so, so much for the reviews, alerts, and just plain reading, and I own nothing.**

**Drop a comment if you can**

**I own nothing**

**Bye...**

**Oh and I brought back a character from SOABD :D**

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Chin's elbows rested on his knees as he sat hunched in a hospital chair. It had been a little over forty minutes since Steve had been brought to the hospital and neither Kono nor Danny had gotten back yet.

Whatever Steve was on, whatever Bates had given him, there was no doubt he had been given too much. Doctor Wesley (one of the many doctors they dealt with) had been quick to diagnose a possible overdose. They were just waiting on what exactly he had been given.

Since his convulsion at the warehouse, Steve hadn't moved. His dark, bottle blue eyes were locked on the ceiling, twitching back and forth. Wesley dared not give him anything to help him sleep; it could be catastrophic mixing two drugs.

Chin leaned back, rubbing his aching eyes, only to freeze when he heard a whispered, "No."

"Steve?" Kelly pulled himself to his feet, eyeing his boss cautiously. It was the first time he moved in forty minutes, and Chin was torn between getting a doctor or not.

"Get…away," McGarrett growled his eyes moving from the ceiling to just to the left of Chin's shoulder. "Leave me…alone."

"Steve, it's Chin," Chin Ho muttered leaning forward just a little, hoping if his boss saw a familiar face he might calm down.

What he wasn't expecting, was Steve's eyes to lock on his and the SEAL's arm to reach out and wrap around his throat. Chin tried to pry Steve's fingers from his neck, causing Steve to tighten his grip.

"S…Steve…" Kelly managed to choke out before he was thrown back, his back slamming into the edge of the tray attached to the wall, the air knocked from his already abused lungs. Coughing, his throat now unblocked, he had enough time to duck as a SEAL sized fist flew at his head.

"Steve, it's me," Chin shouted, jumping back from a second fist, his elbow slamming into the edge of the tray.

The commotion aroused a couple nurses, two burly orderlies, and Wesley. The group rushed into the room, both orderlies immediately trying to restrain Steve. Chin watched worriedly as the SEAL managed to clock one orderly in the head, the other getting an arm around his neck in a lose sleeper hold.

"Don't hurt him," Wesley shouted a war going on across his face. He knew he couldn't sedate the SEAL, but he had no clue how to get him to calm down.

Steve's elbow connected with the orderly's nose, completely breaking free from the man's hold, but before he could take off again Danny appeared in the doorway.

"Steve," Danny called causing the SEAL to stop. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a second. "Danno?" he whispered before his eyes rolled into his head and he collapsed to the ground…

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The moment Kono had gotten the results she rushed to the hospital. She found the waiting room empty, expecting Chin or Danny to be waiting for her, and wandered to Steve's room after asking a nurse where it was.

Danny was sitting in one of the chairs, head down, his hands dangling off his legs. Kono studied him for a second, noting the tension in his shoulders. She looked up at her boss, who she was unsurprised to see restrained.

"Hey," she said quietly and Williams' turned at her voice.

"Hey," he greeted clearing his throat.

"I know what Steve's on…"

"Yeah, we do too. He, uh, he attacked Chin." Danny's eyes shifted back to Steve.

"Is he okay?" Kono asked suddenly worried.

"Yeah, he's down in the cafeteria. He was luckier than the two orderlies."

"Steve attacked orderlies, too?" Kono now wished she had come to the hospital instead of getting the drug tested. She could have been some help. At least she could have helped calm Steve down. Speaking of calming the SEAL down…

"How did you get him…?" she gestured to the fitfully sleeping SEAL.

"He calmed down when he saw me," Danny responded still watching his partner.

"I'm going to see Chin," Kono commented after a few seconds silence. Danny nodded, but still didn't look her way.

Kalakaua headed down to the cafeteria, finding her cousin sitting at the farthest table from the door, a water bottle grasped between both hands. She moved toward him, taking a seat across from him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," Chin responded hoarsely, looking up. Kono gasped when she spotted the purplish fingerprints marking the skin around his throat. "Believe me it's not as bad as it looks."

"Steve did that?"

"Hyped up on PCP."

"I take it Wesley pretty much identified it the moment he attacked three people," Kono pointed out slowly.

"That and McGarrett's blood work came back."

"So did the liquid from the vial," Kono responded flashing Chin the paper in her hand. It was completely pointless, getting the drug tested. But, at the time, Kono just wanted to do something.

"This stuff can be in someone's system for a week," Chin said quietly, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"I know," Kono responded. She had read up on PCP while at the academy. It was awful, awful stuff that caused hallucinations and violent behavior. And that was just the well known symptoms.

"And it's addicting…"

"I know."

"Danny's not going to leave."

Kono sighed, "I know."

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Danny couldn't believe the day he had had, nor could he believe it all started with someone he trusted kidnapping his partner. Guilt wrapped around his stomach, gripping it tightly. He knew he shouldn't blame himself, no amount of self-pity would make this his fault, but he couldn't help it.

Steve was going to go through withdrawal, withdrawal that could last a few days up to a week. And there was a chance he could get addicted to PCP. And Danny wasn't even taking into account the mental and emotional affects the drug had on McGarrett. Hallucinations were a big part of PCP, and Williams didn't want to think about what Steve saw while under the influence.

McGarrett twitched in his sleep, his eyes rolling under his eyelids, and Danny leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. If this was Danny fault, intentionally or not, the least he could do was help Steve as best as he could. Bates broke his partner, Williams just wondered how long it would take to put him back together…

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**P.S. I am starting to rethink the title of this. Because I will be going into a new day next chapter. So, if you guys like the title let me know and if you don't I am open to suggestions. Because I've got nothing :D**

**Once again, thanks for reading...**


	12. Chapter 12

**The following three passages, as you will read, is Steve fighting the drugs. I tried to get as close to withdrawal as I could, but I have never been addicted enough to anything to actually go through the process. So, I kinda took a stab in the dark. So, if anything is a little off blame the fact that I am not a doctor, I have no ambition to be a doctor, and the internet is the closest thing to a medical mind I will ever have.**

**Thanks for reading...**

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Steve woke to violent tremors, but he wasn't cold. In fact, he was burning up. He tried to move, find someplace cooler, but found himself bound, steadfast to the flat surface. He tried to move once more before he started to panic.

He couldn't be back, he was rescued. Danny had showed up, Danny had helped him. Or, had that all been a dream? A hallucination? Was he still stuck with Bates, still tied up in that warehouse? But why was he lying down?

He pulled on his binds again, trying to get free, a slight, sharp pain running up his arm. He recalled not being able to feel pain before, but that could be a hallucination, too. Could he hallucinate pain? Was that possible?

He shook his head, more pain messing up his eyes. He ignored it, knowing he had to get out. He had to get free before they came back. Before they started taunting him again….

"Hey," a quiet voice said above him. A face swam in his line of sight. A familiar face, but Steve couldn't be sure if it was real or not. And why was it so hot in this room?

"Danny?" Steve whispered his throat on fire. He was thirsty, hot, tired, in pain, and just wanted this horrible day to end. Oh wait, he did try to end it. Danny stopped him. Or maybe that was a hallucination, too. _What the hell is real and what isn't?_

"You need to calm down," the figure said slowly. "Otherwise they won't take the restraints off."

"What…?"

"Shh, calm down. Just go back to sleep. It'll be better when you wake up…" that actually sounded like a very good idea. Steve was asleep seconds later…

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It was twelve times as bad when he woke up the second time. He was no longer hot but cold. Super, super cold. The tremors were worse, his teeth chattering together. To make matters worse he was surrounded by several figures. He recognized some, others were foreign to him, but they kept saying the same thing: "You're going to fail and everyone is going to die. And it'll be all your fault. All your fault, Steve…"

"NO!" he screamed trying to break free, his hands still restrained.

"All your fault…"

"Stop," he cried, shaking his head furiously.

"It's the truth…"

"_Give him something,"_ a new voice said, far away.

"_What about the drugs in his system…"_

"_We'll risk it…"_

"All your fault," the closer voices continued to say. Everything started to go gray and fuzzy. The last thing he heard before blacking out was, "And you can't stop it…"

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He woke a third time, his mother standing over him. She smiled warmly, her dark hair falling over her shoulder. She ran her hand through his hair, humming softly. It was the first good thing to happen since he was kidnapped (second if he counted her first appearance, but he vaguely remembered how that ended). He shivered, still cold, and his mother frowned.

"Are you coming down with something?" she asked pulling her hand back. "You're still burning up."

"B…but I'm s…so cold," he stammered his shivering progressively intensifying.

"It's okay, sweetie. Mom's here. And she isn't going anywhere…" she smiled at him, her eyes brightening, her hand resuming its stroking.

"You promise…?"

Before she could respond, her smile wilted. She yanked her hand back as flames engulfed her, the orange nearly blinding Steve.

"MOM…!" he screamed

The voices returned, far away and talking about him, and soon he was sinking into darkness again…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

**Four days later…**

Danny was asleep when Kono stopped in the doorway of Steve's room. His arm was propped up on his chair's arm, his head resting on his fist. Kalakaua thought about leaving the blond alone, coming back later, but he hadn't eaten much since Steve had been brought in. And Chin had sent her with a bag of take-out, telling her to make sure Danny ate something.

So, she stepped into the room, set the bag of food on the tray bolted to the wall, and lightly shook him. He stirred, blinking several times, asking, "Steve okay?"

"He's fine. Still asleep. Chin sent me with some food," Kono responded gesturing to the bag.

"Not hungry," Danny insisted even though his stomach growled in protest.

"Nice try," Kono retorted. "Eat the food." They had an intense staring contest, it lasting almost three full minutes, and Danny finally broke.

"Hand me the damn bag," Williams snapped holding his hand out. Smiling triumphantly, Kono snatched it off the tray and handed it to him. While he dug into the food, Kono moved across the room and dragged a second chair across the floor, next to Danny's. She sat down, her dark eyes locking on Steve.

"Has he woken up since the last fit?" she asked slowly, curiously.

Danny was quiet for a second, chewing, mulling over his answer. He swallowed his piece of burger and said, "Not fully. Mostly it's been incoherent rambling; a couple times he called out to his mother." Danny looked at the burger in his hand for a second before wrapping it up and throwing it back in the paper bag.

Kono frowned at both what she heard and Danny's action. She was supposed to get him to eat not lose him his appetite. She figured she could always send Chin in as a reinforcement, the food being his idea and everything.

Or, she could try to get him out of his funk on her own. So, Kono took a deep breath and said, "You know he'll be fine, right? I mean, with us watching out for him, his O'hana, he'll be up and around in no time." If only she really believed those words. And, unfortunately, neither did Danny.

But, from dealing with Grace on many occasions, he decided to humor her. So he gave Kono a small smile and quietly said, "Possibly."

Kono tried to smile back, but she couldn't quite manage it. In fact, all she really wanted to do was cry. Cry for Steve and the hell he was put through. Cry for Danny and the fact that he trusted someone who turned out to be a complete psychopath. Just cry…

But she knew crying wouldn't help the situation. For her at least. It'd probably just make things worse. So, she took a breath, pushed all her emotions to the back of her head, and said, "Can I get you anything else? I mean, you haven't left the hospital in a few days, and I'm sure you're running low on supplies."

"I'm fine, Kono," Danny responded giving her another weak smile. "But thanks for asking."

"No problem, Brah," she replied pushing herself to her feet. "I'll be back later."

"Okay."

"Okay." She moved toward the door, stopping to study the blond man. If Kono wasn't mistaken, and she'd eat her left foot if she was, Steve may not be the only person Bates broke. He broke Danny, too. Maybe not in a billion little pieces like McGarrett, but still broke him nonetheless…

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**I promise the next chapter will be longer, actually feature a semi-coherent Steve, and maybe some Grace. I almost forgot about her plus I don't think Danny would want her to see her Uncle Steve like that.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and alerting last chapter. It was so awesome of you guys and I really hope to catch ya in the next.**

**I own nothing...**

**P.S. Since a lot of you liked the title, I have decided to keep it. So, yeah...**


	13. Chapter 13

Danny had been flipping aimlessly through the channels, finding nothing particularly good on, when his phone rang. He glanced at Steve, worrying about waking him. They had taken the restraints off last night, Wesley pretty sure the drugs were mostly out of McGarrett's system. But Danny didn't want to risk startling the SEAL, just in case there was anything lingering.

So, he quickly left the room, taking his phone out. He checked the I.D., rolled his eyes, and answered, "Yeah?"

"_Why haven't you been returning my calls?"_ Rachel's voice came from the other end.

"Been busy," Danny responded noncommittally. He didn't want to get into it with his ex, but he also didn't want to explain what had been happening. It was Steve's health and sanity they were talking about, Steve's information to tell. Not Danny's.

"_With what?" _Of course that did stop Rachel from pushing.

"Don't worry about it," Danny said slowly.

"_Daniel, in case you forgotten we have Grace. Someone who has been missing her father. And what do I tell our daughter, Daniel? What? That her father is too busy with work; that he can't see her…"_

"Oh that's a load of bull and you know it," Danny snapped. He sighed heavily and said, "Steve is in the hospital, okay?"

"_What happened?"_ did Danny detect a hint of concern in his ex's voice? Maybe some worry for him, sympathy. Who knew with Rachel?

"My shrink took him captive," Danny responded leaning against the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"_Bates? Why would Bates do that?"_

"Look, I really don't want to get into it, but long story short: Bates was a whack job, took Steve, pumped him full of PCP, and pretty much tried to kill him." Rachel gasped at the news. "Steve's going to be fine physically and Bates is in jail. But…"

"_You don't know about emotionally_," Rachel supplied for Danny. They may not be together anymore, and they may fight like cats and dogs half the time, but she still knew him. Could still read him like a book.

"Yeah," Danny muttered sighing. He slid to the floor, pulling his legs to his chest. He rested one elbow on his knee and said, "I'm not sure what to do."

"_Help him through this, of course,_" Rachel responded patiently. "_He's going to need someone and you're about the closest thing to a best friend he has."_

"Best friend is kinda pushing it…"

"_Danny, be honest. Who do you go to with all your problems?"_ That was easy: Steve. "_Who do you hang out with when you're not working?"_ Again: Steve. "_Who's become like a brother to you since Matthew…?"_

"I get it," Danny interrupted. It had been only a few weeks since Matty took off, boarded that plane, abandoned their family, and Danny had put everything he could into his job. Just so he didn't have to think about that betrayal.

"_You just take care of him. I'd hate to see Gracie lose her Uncle Steve,"_ Rachel said slowly, after a drawn out silence.

"I will," Danny reassured her. "And I'll get Grace tomorrow if you still need me, too."

"_You sure?"_

_ "_Yeah, I've been here too long." As much as Danny wanted to help Steve, and he did, he really, really did, he needed to keep in mind he did have a daughter, too. And her mother was going out of town for the weekend. He could bring Gracie to see Steve (if he were any better by Saturday).

He heard a groan sound from Steve's room. "I think McGarrett's waking up," Danny said into the phone.

"_Okay, I'll let you go." _Rachel hung up after they exchanged awkward 'good-byes.' It was rare for them to have civilized conversations.

Danny pulled himself to his feet, heading into Steve's room. The SEAL was tossing and turning, a small whimper leaving his lips. Five days ago, Danny would have been in shock to hear Steve McGarrett whimper, but it had been one, crazy week.

"Hey Steve," Danny said quietly, hesitating. He recalled what Chin had told him, how easily Steve snapped. Danny didn't want a repeat performance; especially if it involved him this time around.

"No…"

"Steve, c'mon, wake up." Williams flew caution to the wind, resting his hand on McGarrett's shoulder to shake him. "Wake up, damn it."

"NO!" Steve jolted awake, abruptly sitting up, his head slamming into Danny's face. Williams fell back, his legs hitting the chair he had occupied earlier. He put a hand to his freely bleeding lip, watching Steve carefully.

The SEAL's chest was heaving, his dark blue eyes wide and scanning the room. Whatever he was searching for, whatever he was seeing, Danny didn't know. The only thing he did know was Steve 'Super SEAL' McGarrett was scared.

"Hey, it's me," Danny said quietly, cautiously moving toward Steve again. "It's Danny." Haunted eyes locked on Danny, Williams' stomach clenching painfully when he noticed the pool of unshed tears clinging to Steve's eyes.

"Danny?" he whispered when he realized who was staring at him.

"Yeah, Steve, it's me."

"W…where am I?"

"Hospital," Danny answered.

"How did I get here?" McGarrett questioned as his eyes focused some, his face still flashing every emotion he was feeling. It wasn't something Danny could say he saw every day, an emotional Steve.

"By ambulance. Remember, I found you." Steve was still for a second, searching his jumbled memories, but finally nodded. "How you doing?" Danny asked quietly.

"You're real, right?" Steve questioned ignoring Williams, his eyebrows scrunched up in disbelief.

"I promise you, Steve. I am real," Danny said without hesitating. PCP meant hallucination and hallucinations meant some pretty freaky shit; or in Steve's case, at least. Who knew what the SEAL saw in his time in the Navy. McGarrett nodded once, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Hey, why don't you go back to sleep," Danny suggested easily pushing Steve back down.

"Can't," Steve whispered, his eyes closing on their own accord. "They're waiting…for me."

"Who?" Danny asked not expecting an answer. And he wasn't surprised when McGarrett overlooked the question.

"Except you. I…never saw…you…" Steve was out before Danny could even fathom what he was talking about. Slowly the Jersey native sat down, running his hands through his hair…

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**OK, I know I promised a longer chapter, but I really wanted to update something so I give you this.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this, thanks so much for the reviews, alerts, and just plain reading, and I will catch you in the next chapter.**

**I own nothing and drop a comment if you can**

**Bye...**


	14. Chapter 14

It had taken Danny a while to admit it, but Five-0 had become closer than family to him during the year he'd been in Hawaii. He and Grace enjoyed being around Kono and Chin, and Grace couldn't get enough of Steve. It was a dysfunctional family on the best of days, but family nonetheless.

And, until the shit hit the fan, Steve had always enjoyed being around the makeshift family, too. Danny could always see it on his face, could hear it in his tone. Steve liked having them around.

But now, he could barely hold eye contact with Kono and Chin, barely spoke more than three words to them. He just didn't trust them, and as many times as Danny asked he wouldn't tell him why.

He had to pick up Grace from school the day Wesley decided to release Steve. Danny figured he'd kill two birds with one stone, picking McGarrett up before going to get Grace. He figured Gracie could see her Uncle Steve and Danny could get McGarrett home so he didn't have to be around Kono and Chin.

He waited in the hallway while Steve got dressed in the clothes he picked up at the SEAL's house. Danny had already moved some of his stuff into McGarrett's place, figuring it wouldn't hurt to keep the SEAL close by. Gracie thought it was the greatest idea, and Danny begrudgingly agreed.

Steve stepped out of the room, keeping his eyes on the floor, and followed Danny as the Jersey native moved toward the nurse's station in search of Wesley. He found the older man speaking to a nurse, breaking away from her at their approach.

"I just need Commander McGarrett's signature and he's free to go," Wesley said searching for the clipboard and release papers. When he found it, he handed it to Steve. The SEAL took it carefully before wandering a few steps away from the other two men to sign the papers.

"He needs to take these for the pain and these to help him sleep," Wesley said writing two prescriptions on his pad. He ripped both out, handing them to Danny. "And if he has a relapse…"

"…bring him in. I got it," Danny said nodding, staring down at the prescriptions. The first one he didn't spare more than a quick glance. Broke wrist, bruised ribs, bullet wound: pain pills. The second one, however, Williams studied. Steve had been having nightmares, severe enough that Danny had spent the last two nights sitting up with him. But, like with his reasons behind avoiding Kono and Chin, he wouldn't tell Danny what they were about.

"You ready?" Danny asked looking up from the prescriptions, turning to see Steve lurking behind him, the clipboard in his hand. McGarrett nodded, handing the clipboard to Wesley.

"Come on, Super SEAL," Danny said leading his partner out of the hospital. He noticed the look that flashed across McGarrett's face, from the nickname, but chose to ignore it. He wasn't expecting an answer anyway if he asked.

Once they were in the car, Steve's head laying against the window, did Danny try sparking a conversation. "You hungry?" a shrug. "Want to go get some food at _Polly's_?" another shrug. "Okay, we'll just get Grace and…"

"Grace? You never mentioned Grace," Steve said slowly, his blue eyes settling on Danny's face.

"Yeah, I have her for the week. Rachel and Stan are going out of town. Is that a problem?" Danny couldn't see how it would be. Steve loved Grace like any surrogate uncle could (in the non creepy sense), and he loved being around her. Hell, she was one of a handful of kids Steve could actually get along with.

"No," Steve responded too fast, his eyes locking on the window again. Danny wanted to ask, so bad, what was wrong, but let it go. It was Steve's business, best to stay out of it for the time being…

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Steve could see Grace's school getting closer, his heart thudding against his chest. The last time he had seen Grace had been during a hallucination. What happens if she agreed with the fake her? No, she wouldn't. Grace loved him. But did she, really? She'd only known him for _barely _a year. Who knew what she thought of him?

"You okay?" Danny asked curiously, Steve almost seeing his eyebrows furrow.

"Yeah," McGarrett responded keeping his eyes locked on the window, counting the seconds until he had to face Grace.

"You sure?" Steve didn't verbally respond, but the noncommittal grunt had Danny saying, "Okay, I'll drop it."

The Camaro pulled up to the curb, Steve spotting Grace in the crowd of children. Her eyes lit up when she spotted McGarrett and she raced toward her dad's car, nearly knocking a first grader over.

"Uncle Steve," she greeted excitedly stopping next to the window Danny had opened. "Are you okay now?" she was genuinely happy to see him, the worry evident in her dark eyes, but a small voice in the back of Steve's head said, '_How do you know she's not lying? You don't and it bothers you.'_

"I fine," Steve replied slowly, getting out of the car to let her into the back.

"That's good," she responded once he was back in the Camaro. "Danno says we'll be staying with you for a while." Steve looked at Danny, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He hadn't known that.

"Just until you're back on your feet," Danny responded with a shrug. Steve nodded, not sure whether to be relieved or not. Admittedly, he was glad he wasn't going to be alone, but he still wasn't one-hundred percent sure about Grace. This whole mess made him so confused. He hated that this happened; he hated Bates for putting him through it. But, most importantly, he hated himself for feeling this way…

_Why do I feel this way…?_

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

After dinner, or twenty minutes of watching Steve pick at his food, Danny stopped by his place to get something he forgot before heading to McGarrett's place. The whole car ride Grace talked Steve's ear off, and Danny could tell the SEAL was clearly uncomfortable with her presence, despite the fact that he tried to appear okay with it. _This is going to be a long week…_

Steve was the first out of the car when Danny pulled into his driveway, effectively cutting off Grace's story, and was halfway to the door before either Danny or Grace had gotten out of the car.

Automatically, Steve reached into his pockets for his house keys, but he didn't have them. Danny knew this for a fact, because Danny had seen them on the counter when he was here last. Williams hurriedly got out of the car, waited for Grace, and moved toward the door. He unlocked it, letting Steve go in before him, only to run into the taller man when he froze in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" he asked taking several steps back.

At first McGarrett didn't respond, just kept his rigid back to Danny as he took several deep breaths, but finally he calmed some and said, "I'm fine." He didn't sound fine, but Danny didn't push. This was the place where all of Steve's troubles started, he was taken from his own home, it would take a few seconds for him to compose himself.

Finally, McGarrett stepped into the house, barely sparing the stained carpet a second glance, and proceeded to head for the stairs. Kono had tried to get the blood out, but hadn't been as successful as she hopped. Last Danny checked she had been searching for a new carpet or a decent carpet cleaner.

"You wanna watch a movie with Grace and me," Danny called after his partner.

"No thanks," Steve quietly replied before he disappeared up the steps.

"Danno, is he okay?" Grace asked softly, her dark, worried eyes watching where McGarrett disappeared. Danny didn't verbally respond, but he couldn't help shaking his head; even if Grace wasn't paying attention.

He wasn't fine, he wasn't even close to being fine. But what could Danny do? If Steve wasn't going to talk about it there wasn't much he _could _do. He would suggest professional help, but since _professional_ help got Steve into this mess...

"What movie do you want to watch?"

Grace was a very perceptive kid, and at eight she was fairly good at knowing when to let subjects drop. Something she clearly did not get from her parents. Danny hated to admit it, but he and Rachel were the masters of bringing past events up. Danny would also admit, begrudgingly, that he was worse at it than Rachel.

She shrugged at Danny's question, her worried eyes still on the steps, and said, "You pick."

"Seriously?" she'd never let Danny pick before. Like her mother, Grace never had the patience for Danny's taste in movies. And, with her being eight, Danny only had a few choices to choose from.

"Let's go see what Uncle Steve has," Danny suggested heading toward the living room. Grace followed him, stopping short of the small collection of movies Steve had. As Danny searched for something appropriate he heard her take a breath.

"What's wrong?" he asked internally grimacing at some of the titles. _Under Siege, really?_

"Mommy and you said Uncle Steve was sick, but he didn't look sick. Just sad. Why would he be sad?" She was genuinely concerned, but Danny had no intentions of explaining just what had happened. She was eight, and Danny would much rather not discuss the crap that had gone down with her. His goal was to keep her innocent as long as possible.

"How's about _Uncle Buck_?" Danny suggested ignoring Grace's question, pulling the movie from the shelf. Grace sighed again, but nodded. As Danny put the movie in the player, listening to her shuffle her feet behind him, he blew out a breath and said, "Monkey, Uncle Steve wasn't just hurt on the outside."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Remember when Great Nana died? And you saw how sad Grammy Williams got?"

"Yeah," she said nodding.

"Well, when the bad man hurt Uncle Steve, he broke his spirit, too. Made him sad like Grammy Williams. Understand?"

"Did someone die?"

"Not today," Danny muttered turning back to the screen. He pressed _Play Now_ on the menu screen and got to his feet. "Uncle Steve just needs time to heal."

"Like when I broke my arm?"

"Yeah, but his mind needs to heal, too." Danny moved toward the couch, Grace following him. As the settled into the cushions Grace whispered, "I hope he gets better soon."

"Me too," Danny muttered leaning his head back. _You have no idea…_

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Steve lay across his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to keep himself from thinking. It was a futile attempt, but at least he tried.

His mind was going in several different directions, at several different times, and he had no clue what thought to latch onto and which to let go.

One part knew he could trust Danny. Danny was okay. He hadn't seen Danny in that warehouse until the blond had tackled him. Danny didn't believe any of that stuff about him. Danny was just the voice that kept him grounded.

Another small part of him knew Kono, Chin, and Grace could also be trusted, but a bigger part kept replaying their words. Telling him they didn't want him around, that death followed him wherever he went. Maybe he should push Danny away, just to be on the safe side.

A third part of him wondered why Danny just didn't let him pull the trigger. He was a walking magnet for danger, the world would have been better off without him. Or, at least Five-0 would have. His sister, Gracie, Cat…

A fourth part, stronger than the others, just wanted to sleep until this nightmare ended. But nightmares followed him in sleep, the sole reason he had to fight that big part. He hated having to see his mother die the same way over and over again. Her body engulfing in flames, her screams reverberating through his head. And when he wasn't watching her die, he was listening to other people he cared about berating him, telling him he was pathetic, asking him why he couldn't pull the trigger. It was enough to drive him crazy

He squeezed his eyes shut, begging himself to stop thinking. God, he was so tired. Why was he so tired?

"Maybe because the fight is out of you…" a voice said and he froze. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up, eyes landing on Grace standing in the doorway. "Hi again…"

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**Sorry for the delay. Been busy with other projects. Oh, and the ramifications of writing two stories featuring characters with similar names, sometimes I used the wrong name. I caught it early on, but still :/**

**So yeah, I thank all who alerted, reviewed, and read last chapter. It was awesome of you guys :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this, drop a comment if you can, and I own nothing**

**Bye...**


	15. Chapter 15

Danny had gotten up to use the bathroom, a gut feeling telling him to use the upstairs one. He was halfway up the steps when he heard a familiar voice murmur, "No, please."

"Steve," he called quietly.

"L-leave me alone," the same voice whispered. Danny continued up the stairs, moving down the hall to Steve's room. When he heard the cry he sped up, bursting into Steve's room. He had enough time to see Steve asleep, legs dangling off the bed, before moved toward the thrashing SEAL.

"Steve," Danny said shaking his shoulder. "Steve, wake up."

"Danno?' A small voice said from the doorway. Danny turned to Grace and said, "Gracie, just go downstairs."

"What's wrong with Uncle Steve?" Grace asked her brown eyes wide.

"Grace just go…" Danny had been turning to looking back at Steve, hardly having enough time to stop the fist that swung at his face. His jaw took the brute of it, saving his eyes or nose any pain, and he hit the nightstand. _Swell, _he thought, _my lip had just healed, too_.

"Danno," Gracie called just as Steve sat up, panting slightly, his bottle blue eyes wide as he let them skim the room. Danny held his hand up when Grace tried to run to him, returning his attention to Steve, trying to ignore the fact that his jaw was killing him.

"Steve, it's okay," Danny said quietly moving toward his friend. "You're okay." But Steve wasn't listening to him, his eyes locked on Grace. She was standing in the doorway, her face paling drastically when Steve's eyes locked on hers.

"S-stay away from me," Steve stammering pointing at the little girl.

"Grace, go downstairs," Danny repeated and Gracie nodded, scurrying away. Danny stepped into Steve's direct line of sight, met his eyes, and softly said, "It was a dream, Steve. Just a dream."

"A-a dream?" Steve breathed, his breathing still irregular, letting his eyes roam around the room. It was obvious he was looking for something, Danny just didn't know what.

"Yeah, just a dream," Danny reassure the SEAL putting his hand on his shoulder, catching his eyes. "You with me now?"

It took a few seconds, but finally Steve's eyes focused, his breathing evened out, and he nodded. Danny nodded back, releasing Steve's shoulder. He backed up, watching as McGarrett ran a shaky hand through his sweaty hair.

"You okay?" Danny asked taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah," Steve answered quietly. "I'm fine." He glanced over at Danny, his eyes widening at the sight of the, no doubt, red mark across Danny's face. There would be a bruise there in the morning, if not later today. "What happened?"

"Don't worry about it," Danny said getting to his feet. "Are you hungry? I was thinking about ordering a pizza." If Steve wasn't going to be honest with Danny, then Danny would just as easily return the favor.

"I'm fine," Steve muttered his face troubled, looking down at his shoes. "Thanks for offering."

"Uh-huh," Danny grunted before leaving Steve alone. This was going to be harder than he thought…

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Steve ran a hand through his hair the moment Danny left the room. What the hell was wrong with him? He should have told Danny about the dream. But he knew he couldn't, it painted Grace in a bad light, and Danny would never forgive Steve for depicting his daughter that way.

Besides, the real, fake, the other (_what am I saying, she's real damn it_) Grace was already freaked out as it was. She probably needed Danny more than he did. He was a grown man, she was a little girl. Best to let her have her father, he could deal by himself.

He stomach growled, getting his attention. He ignored it; having a feeling anything he tried to consume may make a second, unwanted appearance. And that was all he needed, to be throwing up and freaking Grace and Danny out more. No thanks, he'd refrain from eating anything for a while.

He ran his hand down his face, trying to get Grace's voice out of his head. She had called him pathetic again, a joke. She said he didn't deserve to be around his friends, his O'hana that he'd just get them killed again. And perhaps she was right perhaps he shouldn't be around them.

But there was really nowhere he could go. There was no doubt Danny would find him, and if not him then the nightmares surely. They would follow him anywhere, keep him from truly relaxing. He hated this, yet he couldn't escape it.

"Danny should have just let me end it," he muttered burying his face in his hands. _It would have been easier…_

**5-0 5-0 5-0**

Danny glanced over at Grace, who was picking at her pizza. He had tried to ask her if she were okay, but she only responded by asking if he and Steve were okay. It was a never ending circle until Danny just gave up and stopped asking. He knew he wasn't getting an answer out of her and she wasn't getting one out of him.

And the only reason she wasn't was because Danny had no idea how to answer her. Steve wasn't okay, he was far from okay, and he wasn't going to start lying to his daughter on McGarrett's behalf. Besides, how could he explain why Uncle Steve punched him without telling some major lies. And just because McGarrett used to have no problem giving out half truths didn't mean Danny did. And yes, he had his fair share of white lies he'd told Grace, but nothing to this magnitude. It would be best if he just refused to answer.

And, like her mother, she hated when he did this, but she had to realize he was protecting her. Probably like he subconsciously protected Steve by not telling him about both injuries he sustained, and the fact that he nearly choked Chin to death.

Danny wondered when he became the SEALs keeper, too…

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**I know this is late, and short, but I had to publish something. So, hope you enjoyed this fillery chapter.**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing, and reading last chapter.**

**I own nothing, drop a comment if you can, and thanks for reading**

**Bye...**


	16. Epilogue

**I own nothing...**

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That night, after another nightmare, Steve found himself pacing back and forth across his bedroom floor. He couldn't take much more of it; these dreams were driving him crazy. Leaving may not be an option, but Steve still found himself leaning toward it.

True, Danny would probably find him, and there was no escaping what was going on in _his_ head, but it would get him away for a while. Get away from the people he really didn't trust. Besides Danny, he really couldn't trust his team; not fully. And, yes, he knew they didn't actually say those things to him, but how did he know they weren't thinking them.

He was over thinking things, he knew it, but maybe he had to over think these things. And maybe he had to leave, get his head on straight, in order for him to get better.

He moved across the room, pulling a bag from his closet. A few days wouldn't hurt him; Danny could keep track of Five-0. It wasn't like when he was younger, and felt obligated to visit his dad, he planned on coming back.

Once packed, he crept out of his room and down the stairs. Already knowing Grace was in his guest room, he just had to get by Danny. The blond man was crashed out on Steve's couch, the TV on.

Steve stopped next to his partner, watching him for a second. Yeah, he'd be a good leader, just until Steve could get past all this crap. Steve trusted Danny with Five-0, he trusted Danny with a lot of things. And he'd understand…

Well, he wouldn't, but Steve could believe for just a moment that he would. Shaking his head, he flipped the television off, threw his mother's old duvet over Danny, and walked toward the kitchen. Stopping for a second, he scribbled a note on the back of a receipt, left it where Danny would see it, and headed out the back…

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Danny woke the next morning, pushing a duvet off himself. He couldn't remember pulling the cover over himself, but he must have; just like he must have turned the television off.

He rolled off Steve's couch, his back bitching at him. He grumbled under his breath and moved into the kitchen, intending to make a pot of coffee, but stopped when he spotted the scribbled note attached to the fridge.

He moved toward it, snatching the old receipt from the metal surface, his eyebrows furrowing when he read the message. He crumpled it up, shaking his head, his phone in his hand, only to freeze.

He straightened the note again, reading it a second time:

_Danno,_

_Please don't try looking for me. Though, I know you will anyway. I just need some time._

_-S…_

Danny read the note twice more before slumping against the counter. He was torn between racing after Steve and dragging his ass back here or letting the SEAL go off on his own. What he wanted to do and what was right were arguing back and forth, both wanting his attention. Could he let Steve take off, leave his life behind, let Bates win?

"Fuck that," Danny muttered looking back at his screen. He was going after Steve. He couldn't let him go through this alone, he wouldn't let Bates win. He'd find Steve, he had to...

**_TBC..._**

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**_OK, I know I said this was done, but I realized it wasn't really fair to you guys when I just abruptly ended it. Plus, a recent review figuratively 'kicked me in the ass' and had me write this epilogue. I hope it sets up the sequel I promised (which is coming when I finish a couple of my projects... not sure if I already said that or not, so I will say it again)._**

**_So, yeah, thanks so much for reading this. I hope this makes up for the abrupt ending (and if it doesn't, well I understand), and I appreciate all the reviews and alerts this story got._**

**_See ya in the sequel..._**


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